Lars Larson shares his concerns about the elusive cost estimate of the I-5 Bridge replacement project

Lars Larson
The Northwest Nonsense

Be afraid.  Be very, very afraid.  

Economist Joe Cortright delivered that warning to the Portland City Council about the single biggest public works project in the Pacific Northwest.

Cortright points out that the man leading the soon-to-fail Interstate 5 Bridge replacement project is hiding new cost estimates that seem likely to push the project past $10 billion.

Oregon and Washington plan to start the bridge project next year 

They have absolutely no idea how they’re going to pay for it.

Greg Johnson, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program czar, promised a cost estimate a year ago in June, then promised summer of this year.  

Now he says it may come late this year or even next year.

Why hold it back?  Cortright points out ODOT has a bad history of cost overruns.  Abernathy Bridge, still not finished and not paid for, ballooned from $200 million to $800 million.  Hood River Bridge replacement more than doubled.

Now, ODOT claims it’s broke and needs a taxpayer bailout. 

The last estimate on the Interstate Bridge replacement project came in at $7.5 billion 20 months ago.

No wonder Greg Johnson is hiding the ball.  

When the bridge project dies, so does his quarter million dollar salary for leading it to failure.