Tolls are set to begin on I-5 when construction starts on the Interstate Bridge replacement project in 2028, and the IBR team explained to the C-TRAN Board of Directors on Tuesday why it plans to stop light rail at the waterfront in this current phase of the project

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

As expected, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) has increased the amount of toll funding that the driving public will have to pay in order to help fund the project.

Leaders of the IBR team gave an update on the megaproject to the C-TRAN Board of Directors on Tuesday, noting that the projected toll funding amount has increased from $1.25 billion to $1.5 billion.

The updated plan calls for construction on the replacement bridge to start in 2028, and tolling on Interstate 5 will begin at that time, as well.

Carley Francis, the interim program administrator, said that there is not yet a decision on how much the tolls will be for vehicles. She said the best reference points are what the transportation commissions have talked about already, with rates ranging from $1.55 to $4.70 per trip.

John Ley, a Republican state representative who is also a member of the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, was at the C-TRAN meeting. He said he is afraid those tolling ranges will rise.

“The higher $1.5 billion tolling contribution will lead to higher overall tolls,” Ley said. “That remains a huge concern of Southwest Washington residents.”

Francis and Steve Witter, deputy assistant program manager, briefed the C-TRAN board for more than 45 minutes Tuesday, detailing the new cost estimate for the entire project — the 5-mile corridor — as well as plans to construct the project in phases.

The overall project has a likely cost of $14.4 billion.

Phase 1, which deals mostly with the bridge work and extending light rail to a waterfront station approximately 90 feet above ground, will be more than $7 billion.

The decision to stop light rail on the bridge at the waterfront, announced in March, has disappointed members of the Vancouver City Council. City leaders have always planned for light rail to extend to Evergreen Boulevard (also known as Library Square).

Francis said the long-term goal is to extend light rail to Evergreen Boulevard. That will not be part of the first phase, though.

Tim Hein, representing Camas on the C-TRAN board, asked how much the light rail component adds to the project.

Francis said it was roughly $2 billion to bring light rail to the waterfront. Witter said bringing light rail to Evergreen Boulevard would be $3.5 billion. That number, he emphasized, also included the original plan of buying 19 light rail cars, as well as the additional maintenance facilities. There are no longer plans to purchase 19 light rail cars.

Either way, it is a large amount of money for a demand that might not be there, Hein suggested, noting there is a ridership issue. He said that as of C-TRAN’s most current numbers, which were discussed just prior to the IBR briefing Tuesday, there are only 2,200 C-TRAN riders who go across the I-5 and I-205 bridges daily right now. The IBR project has suggested in the past that as many as 30,000 commuters are projected in the future.

“There is a big gap,” Hein said.

Ley did not hold back, either, after Tuesday’s meeting.

“That’s beyond ridiculous. Especially for an inflexible transit mode that can carry, at most, 1,000 people an hour, that travels 14 mph, run by an agency that’s essentially bankrupt,” Ley said, referring to TriMet.

Ley said the 30,000 projection — he used the word ridiculous again — was used to justify the inclusion of light rail in the project.

Those who do want light rail in Vancouver are also upset over the IBR’s decision to only come to the waterfront.

Kim Harless of the city of Vancouver reiterated the city’s position Tuesday night. She said that will primarily serve Portland residents. She said it does not make sense for Vancouver residents who commute to Portland to not have a stop with easier access.

“Vancouver residents would be paying for this but not getting the same level of service,” she said.

Harless then asked if the plans could be “flipped,” with light rail going directly to Library Square and not having a stop at the waterfront.

Short answer from Francis and Witter: No.

The decision is based on costs as well as logistics of the entire project.

Earlier in the meeting, Francis said: “The long-term vision is noted. It’s still to get (light rail) to the Evergreen station. We are working with partners to talk about how to do that, how to fund that,” she said. “That’s going to be an active dialogue over the coming months and probably years to figure out how to bring this forward.”

Back to tolling, Hein wondered if the IBR team had looked into how driver behavior could affect the numbers. He suggested that many people might bypass Interstate 5 and drive to Interstate 205 to avoid the tolls.

“If it goes through, it’s going to have a significant impact on I-205,” Hein said.

Francis wanted to make it clear that there is no if in this plan.

“I heard you said ‘if’ tolling goes through,” Francis said. “Tolling is an essential component of funding the program.”

She noted that yes, some drivers will alter their preferred routes to avoid tolls. Eventually, she guessed, things would even out, when considering how much longer it would take to drive from downtown Vancouver to, say, downtown Portland, by driving to I-205 and then I-84.

The updated schedule for the program states construction is set to begin in 2028, along with tolling. The new bridge would be open to the public six to seven years after the start of construction. Light rail service, depending on funding, could open by 2036.