Neighbors For A Better Crossing in Oregon want to save and repurpose Interstate 5 Bridge while eliminating tolls with a cheaper option than a new bridge

The trek north into Vancouver from Hayden Island on Interstate 5 has a couple of new billboards that are sure to grab the attention of drivers.

An Oregon neighborhood group is fighting against the costly Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, and it sure seems likely that the group has a lot of allies in Clark County, Washington.

Neighbors For A Better Crossing are looking for leaders in both states to save the historic Interstate 5 Bridge by building a less expensive, and less burdensome, Immerse Tube Tunnel.

The group also states that the tunnel option would eliminate the need for tolls.

“Stop Monster Tolls!” states one message, with a picture of a dinosaur breaking through the billboard.

The billboard also states that tolls are set to begin in 2026. It asks drivers to demand a lower cost tunnel and to save and repurpose the historic I-5 bridge.

According to a press release from the neighborhood group, the proposed “mega-bridge” to replace the I-5 bridge will be higher than 180 feet, plus add a light rail station that is 100 feet high over Vancouver, with another station that is 30-feet high over Hayden Island. The new bridge would claim 12 acres of Vancouver waterfront property and 10 acres of retail property on Hayden Island. The group also says the bridge and freeway widening project would take 15 years or more to complete, placing a burden on all living and working close to the project. 

The group also wonders why public officials would want to destroy an iconic bridge and a large part of Hayden Island’s retail district for a “Los Angeles” style mega bridge with tolls when there is a lower cost alternative available. The tunnel, the group claims, is also more resistant to earthquakes than any new bridge. 

“The bottom line is that we believe that failing to protect our historic Interstate Bridge is simply not an option,” the group writes.

An Immersed Tube Tunnel is a solution, the group believes, that could save billions in construction costs and eliminate the need for tolls. 

An ITT is prefabricated in sections on land, then lowered into a trench in the riverbed. An ITT can accommodate the same type of vehicles, including light rail trains, as any bridge. 

The group notes that many officials have described tunnel option as a “myth,” but the group disputes those claims. It notes that there are several examples of ITTs in the world, including in the San Francisco Bay Area for its transit system, as well as one under construction now in British Columbia — a project that is similar in size to the Portland-Vancouver area in and around the Columbia River.

Neighbors For A Better Crossing has all of its arguments on its website: https://neighbors4a-bettercrossing.org/

“At Neighbors For A Better Crossing, we are residents and businesses that will be seriously affected by a mega bridge and the destruction of our historic Interstate Bridge,” the press release notes. “We consider any attempt to dismantle an icon of our Oregon/Washington history to be a travesty as that can be completely avoided with an Immersed Tube Tunnel. Our group is against tolls and the way to avoid tolls is a lower cost Immersed Tube Tunnel.”