Plans for the Columbia River Crossing do not include a bridge high enough to meet the “reasonable needs” of the myriad ships that ply the busy waterway, the U.S. Coast Guard has told project officials.

It’s news that has put a halt on the Coast Guard giving an essential permit to allow construction of the $3.5 billion project, and most certainly means the bridge will have to be at least somewhat, if not significantly, higher.

In a worst-case scenario, adding height could add up to $150 million to the price tag; cause problems with the flight paths of Portland International Airport and Pearson Field; and add to the footprints of the highway ramps in downtown Vancouver and Hayden Island.

Though the project has known since 2006 that some river users — including Vancouver’s Thompson Metal Fab — have called for more clearance, staff forged ahead with a plan for only 95 feet of clearance.

An outside project oversight group said in a December report obtained by The Columbian that the permit problem “represents a new risk” to the project’s already flagging time schedule. Transportation leaders have said construction will likely be delayed until 2014.