Rick Vermeers says it is just a matter of time before the Federal Government pulls the plug on the I-5 Bridge replacement project

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

Any competent project manager knows that there are three critical constraints for any project: scope, cost, and time.

The Interstate Bridge project suffered a traumatic blow on Monday, leaving the once-promising project on life support with little chance of survival.  Explosive project scope increases have plagued the project since inception on top of cost increases.  The behemoth scope increase to include light rail has been the major health problem for the project along with the allocation of 54 percent of the bridge surface to transit, bikes, and pedestrians. All will contribute to the ultimate cause of death for the IBR.

TriMet got greedy, demanding Clark County residents pay for light rail operations and maintenance. Support for adding light rail to the project by the C-TRAN board, and then agreeing to allow funding for TriMet O&M costs, set the noose.

TriMet is essentially bankrupt. They lost $850 million last year. Their proposed “solution” is to slowly implement $300 million in savings via service cuts over the next year. They’re still planning to lose over half a billion dollars creating a huge cost risk with no viable financial survival plan.

Monday’s news that there is a lack of any plan to fund the additional cost of the project is a critical health complication, adding to the certain demise of the project. Legislators will not fund the unknown.

Now, it is just a matter of time before the Federal Government pulls the plug.  The deadline to begin the project and preserve federal funding is in September.  Two months ago, it would have taken a miracle to meet this deadline.  Now, it will take more than a miracle.  It will take divine intervention.

One would hope that the Federal Department of Transportation would recognize that failure of all three constraints would warrant a mercy killing. Anything less will just add to the cost problem, still, with no hope of success absent significant tax increases.

But wait.  If the C-TRAN board were to withdraw its support for the light rail scope increase, then the bridge could be built with the 178-foot clearance, which would relieve the requirement for the Coast Guard to decide on a lower clearance. 

The cost, although still high, would be greatly reduced.  It would be at least $2 billion less without the transit component.

Time would still be a problem, but the US DOT might be willing to be flexible with a project where scope, cost, and time were at least somewhat under control. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an affordable bridge where the throughput is increased and the cost to taxpayers and drivers was reasonable?

Given the malpractice of ODOT and TriMet, and the blind support for light rail by the city of Vancouver, as well as the majority of the Clark County Commission, I am confident that the IBR project will remain on life support, adding additional costs to taxpayers, until someone ends this calamity by finally pulling the plug.

Let’s end Washington and Oregon taxpayer-funded life support of a “Light Rail Project in Search of a Bridge,” jettison the billions of dollars of cost involved in light rail, and shed the specter of tolls. Let’s breathe new life into what was a vibrant, sensible and affordable project at its inception.

Rick Vermeers, PE
Camas