Lawmakers from Oregon and Washington are optimistic and focused after a meeting last week to discuss the Interstate 5 bridge. The meeting lasted several hours as lawmakers talked about what a new Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River might look like, cost to cross, and community engagement. The project seems to have been greenlighted for construction. Under the current timeline, construction would begin by the end of 2025.
In a former news story, The Portland Medium reported on the $1 billion pledged by Oregon and Washington to cover a portion of the cost. Another part of that story delved into the halting of the Rose Quarter Improvement Project. That project included Raimore Construction – a company that has been unmatched in employing a diverse workforce. The prime contractor also has been open about using these types of projects to build wealth and involvement of those usually shut out of lucrative opportunities. Funding of these projects is paramount to local economics.
Lawmakers are counting on securing funds from three different federal pots of money plus receipts from tolling. What are the current plans calling for? It is anticipated that $1.1 billion to $1.6 billion from tolls is needed. Washington lawmakers committed $1 billion in 2022, while Oregon lawmakers in June authorized the first of four anticipated $250 million payments. The Oregon funding comes from bond sales to pay the state’s share of the bridge replacement.
Tolling in Oregon remains a big issue and a non-starter so far. Governor Tina Kotek ordered a moratorium on any toll collections until January 2026. However, the bridge is important to commerce from Washington to California. The aging I-5 bridge is a congestion point on the West Coast freight corridor and needs to be replaced. For example, the bridge’s northbound span, the older of the pair, is 105 years old; the southbound side is 65 years old. It must also be noted that neither segment was built to withstand earthquakes.
Transportation officials and lawmakers are looking to take advantage of federal grants made available through the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. There are five different bridge designs that the planners are looking at, including a bridge with two decks, three types of single-level bridges, and one that can be raised similar to the current structure.
The entire project is estimated at $6 billion. A third of the cost is for replacing the bridge with the rest paying to redo multiple interchanges in both states and to extend light rail from Portland into Vancouver, Washington.
