Lars Larson shares his opinion of the latest developments in the proposed Interstate 5 Bridge replacement project
Lars Larson
The Northwest Nonsense
Trimet and ODOT need to accept that their two billion dollar boondoggle light rail on the I-5 bridge is a dead train rolling.
Consider that the city of Camas, a member of C-TRAN, just voted unanimously to oppose any light rail on the bridge as too expensive and not worth the cash.
TriMet is broke and rapidly burning down its billion dollar cash reserves.
ODOT faces a one-third of a billion dollar shortfall just this year.
And Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek just made all transportation projects 10 to 20 percent more expensive, by her own estimate, by insisting on unionized labor.
Federal transportation has only put up one of the two billion for the project.
My bet is Donald Trump won’t put up a single dime for this mess.
As it stands, the plan to connect 1.9 miles of light rail from Oregon to Washington ranks as the single most expensive train project anywhere on Earth at more than one billion bucks a mile
Today, legislator John Ley introduced a bill that would ban any funding from Washington state to an out of state transit agency, in this case, TriMet.
You see, TriMet is drowning in costs and they’re looking for Washington taxpayers to throw them a life ring.
I say let ‘em sink, kill the billion dollar choo choo, and build a new bridge that actually serves the needs of citizens.
Listen to The Lars Larson Show weekdays noon-3 p.m. (Northwest show) and 3-6 p.m. (national show). He is a Vancouver resident.
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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