🎧 I-5 Bridge: What $280M Bought and What Comes Next
Peter Bracchi says I-5 Bridge replacement project is not a simple bridge job with a finished set of plans ready to go
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
A lot of the frustration over the I-5 Bridge replacement comes from one basic problem: most people hear the price tag, the politics, and the promises, but not a plain explanation of how a project like this actually moves from paper to construction.
Peter Bracchi
That is why the process matters.
This is not a simple bridge job with a finished set of plans ready to go. It is a bi-state, multi-agency project still moving through approvals, procurement, staged design, and funding decisions. Right now, the river bridge package is still only around a 30% design level, which means the big picture is known, but the final construction drawings and final price are not.
That also helps explain what taxpayers have paid for so far. The IBR accountability dashboard shows about $280.2 million spent through December 2025 since the restart in 2019. That money has mostly gone into engineering, environmental work, consultant support, agreements, procurement preparation, and other planning and preconstruction work. In simple terms, taxpayers have paid for the blueprint process and project setup, not for bridge concrete and steel yet.
The next step is also important. WSDOT plans to use Progressive Design-Build, which means the builder is selected before the design is 100% complete. After selection, the builder helps advance the design further, refine risks, and negotiate pricing before major construction begins. Public materials say the design is expected to move to at least 60% before the construction phase is fully set. That may help with constructability and scheduling, but it also means the public does not get one final fixed price on day one.
One thing people should keep in mind is that this project still has several major checkpoints before full construction cost is truly settled. The federal Record of Decision is one checkpoint. Selection of the design-builder is another. Moving the bridge package from roughly 30% design toward 60% design is another, because that is where quantities, risks, and pricing get clearer. And after that, construction packaging and funding decisions remain checkpoints too. So even though the project is moving forward, there are still several points where cost, scope, or timing can tighten up — or move again.
That means the public is not looking at one final locked price today. Instead, the cost becomes clearer in stages as the design advances and construction risks are better defined. That is one reason the price has moved so much already.
The other big point is that the currently funded phase is smaller than the full vision people have been hearing about for years. Current IBR materials say the first funded phase is about $5.68 billion and includes the replacement bridge, major road connections, tolling, the shared-use path, room for future light rail, rail design work, and removal of the old bridge. The broader corridor vision now carries a much larger most-likely cost of about $14.4 billion.
That is where much of the confusion starts. People keep hearing the long-term vision and the first funded phase talked about like they are the same thing, when they are not.
None of this means the bridge should not be built. It does mean people deserve a straight explanation of where the project really stands. Right now, that means three simple facts: the design is still being developed, the final cost is still being refined, and the first funded phase is not the same as the full promise.
Peter Bracchi
Vancouver
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