Brush Prairie resident Bob Mattila doesn’t favor light rail, but he says if we can’t have a new I-5 Bridge without it, it should be put on the newer existing bridge
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
If we are ever going to get a new I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River, we need to start using some common sense in designing it. The biggest problem, I think, is the pipe dream of putting light rail on it. I don’t favor light rail, but if we can’t have a new bridge without it, put it on the newer existing bridge, the southbound one, or on the railroad bridge, a mile downriver.
The Coast Guard wants a clearance of 178 feet. The Federal Aviation Administration, (the two airports), wants 116 feet maximum height. Anything higher would make it too steep for light rail. The 178 feet might conflict with the airplane traffic from the two airports on both sides of the river. Leave the light rail off and try to get the Coast Guard and the airports to compromise with maybe 150 feet, or something similar.
Almost everything we do consists of compromises, so it’s time to make some reasonable compromises to get the bridge built, or it will never get done. I-5 veers to the east on both sides of the river so build the first new bridge on the east side. First build one bridge wide enough for five lanes. Then remove the existing northbound bridge, using the new bridge for the Northbound traffic, and build the second, (Southbound), bridge in its place with five lanes.
Bob Mattila
Brush Prairie
Also read:
- Opinion: IBR’s systematic disinformation campaign, its demise
Neighbors for a Better Crossing challenges IBR’s seismic claims and promotes a reuse-and-tunnel alternative they say would save billions at the I-5 crossing. - Opinion: Is a state income tax coming, and the latest on the I-5 Bridge project
Rep. John Ley shares a legislative update on a proposed state income tax, the I-5 Bridge project, the Brockmann Campus and House Bill 2605. - Board authorizes C-TRAN to sign off on Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s SEIS
The C-TRAN Board approved the Final SEIS for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, with Camas and Washougal opposing the vote over light rail cost concerns. - C-TRAN ridership grows for fourth consecutive year
C-TRAN ridership topped 5 million trips in 2025, marking the fourth straight year of growth. - Opinion: ‘If they want light rail, they should be the ones who pay for it’
Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance argues that supporters of light rail tied to the I-5 Bridge replacement should bear the local cost of operating and maintaining the system through a narrowly drawn sub-district.
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