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Interstate Bridge replacement costs and project scale come into focus as Oregon considers how to fund it

Oregon is being asked to kick in $1 billion for the $6 billion megaproject, and lawmakers are taking a fresh look at the cost of each piece of the plan.

Anthony Macuk (KGW)

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Published: 6:25 PM PDT April 26, 2023
Updated: 7:10 PM PDT April 26, 2023

There’s a plan taking shape in the Oregon Legislature to set aside $1 billion to fund the state’s portion of the $6 billion cost of replacing the aging Interstate 5 Bridge, but the process is renewing debates about the size and scope of the planned project.

Lawmakers Oregon’s Joint Transportation Committee have signaled that they’re likely willing to put up the money, but they want to know more about what exactly they’re buying. An initial hearing on April 13 outlined some details about what the replacement bridge will look like, how it will be built and how much each piece of the project is going to cost, and those details are likely to take center stage at a follow-up public hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

First, a quick recap on the bridge design. Around this time last year, the Interstate Bridge Replacement project team released what’s called the Locally Preferred Alternative, which laid out their recommendations for some of the broadest details about the project, based on public feedback and input from local governments and agencies.

Here’s what they decided:

  1. The bridge should be a fixed crossing, which means it doesn’t move. That means no more drawbridge and no more traffic stuck waiting on I-5 during bridge lifts.
  2. It should have four lanes in each direction, for a total of eight. The current bridge has six lanes total, and the old Columbia River Crossing plan was going to have ten, so the IBR plan splits the difference.
  3. It should include light rail, extending the MAX Yellow line to downtown Vancouver.
  4. It should shrink the interchange on Hayden Island so it only serves traffic from the Washington side of the river. Oregon drivers would reach the island on new local bridge, separate from the freeway.
Credit: Interstate Bridge Replacement Program
The separate bridge from the Oregon mainland to Hayden Island can be seen in the foreground in lighter gray.


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