Rep. John Ley offers evidence that the Trump administration is apparently taking a very close look now at the I-5 Bridge replacement project

Rep. John Ley
For Clark County Today

Over the weekend, the Trump administration cancelled $1.97 billion for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line light rail extension. That project would add 5.5 miles and four new stations. This is triple the length of the proposed 1.83-mile light rail extension for the Interstate Bridge replacement project.

It was reported the administration paused the funding to “ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting,” budget director Russ Vought wrote on social media. He made a similar announcement earlier last week involving New York, where $18 billion for infrastructure is paused, including funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River.

Portland was mentioned on Friday, when the press was briefed on the cuts in Chicago. Is the I-5 Bridge replacement project in the administration’s crosshairs? “I just spoke with the president about this and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “We will not fund states that allow anarchy.”

It’s been reported: states also face uncertain federal funding as the Trump administration reduces the size of government and zeroes out some Biden-era transportation programs. As the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires next year and Congress considers its next transportation funding bill, cities are clamoring for the federal government to bypass states and give cities a larger share of federal infrastructure money distributed by formula.

All this happens as Oregon barely passed a significantly pared back $4.3-billion transportation package. It included a 2-year doubling of the statewide transit “head tax” that will provide about an additional $45 million to TriMet. Yet the Portland transit agency says they need to cut $350 million in annual spending. TriMet’s plan includes reducing 18 percent of their MAX light rail service in addition to 10 percent of bus service.

Clark County residents are likely wondering where this leaves the proposed $7.5-billion I-5 Bridge replacement project? The $2-billion light rail extension is not desired by a significant number of Southwest Washington residents, who have voted against light rail three times in the past.

Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) Administrator Greg Johnson and TriMet have promised nine MAX trains an hour departing Vancouver. This is more than double the current four departures an hour during peak travel periods on the Yellow Line. That is before the 18 percent cuts in the MAX system TriMet says it must make. Eliminating the Yellow and Orange lines would reduce the system by about 22 percent by rail miles. They have the lowest ridership in the MAX system.

Will the Trump administration cancel the $2.1 billion in current funding? Would they ever approve an additional $1 billion for light rail funding?

In February 2025, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy criticized California’s high-speed rail project, which he called a “boondoggle” and a “train to nowhere,” while surrounded by lawmakers. “You’re going to have people that love fraud, love waste, who love trains to nowhere,” he said. “But all of us up here? We don’t love fraud, waste and abuse”. 

In August he cancelled $4 billion in federal funding for the California project.  Last month Duffy said the federal government “won’t approve more funding until it’s cleaned up,” calling the Chicago system unsafe.

The Trump administration is likely concerned that the IBR project allocates 54 percent of the surface area to bikes, pedestrians and transit, and only 46 percent to cars and freight haulers. The Federal Highway Administration and Secretary Duffy is likely troubled that over $10 million has already been expended on DEI efforts.

More importantly, they’re likely concerned that it’s a “bridge too low”, and one that makes traffic congestion worse. “American commuters don’t want to pay for deranged, leftist DEI mandates that don’t improve the efficiency of their daily commutes … they care about getting home safely and quickly” Duffy said.

The DOT secretary believes that large rail projects should not receive additional resources and that if private industry supports high-speed rail, they should fund it. He also commented that he and President Trump are committed to building infrastructure for the future, “not trains to nowhere.”

The IBR is currently 1-2 years behind schedule. They need to answer 10,000 citizen comments to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The program also needs to get Coast Guard approval for a bridge 62 feet lower than the agency demands. Portland economist Joe Cortright says the earliest the IBR team could get their Record of Decision (ROD) from the federal government is the summer of 2027, a year later than required under current federal funding rules.

Add to this the fact that they are almost two years beyond when Johnson told state legislators the price tag would be going up. Many are estimating the new price tag will be between $8 billion and $10 billion. Where will they get the money, given the federal government is cancelling promised funding for significant projects around the nation, including the California High Speed Rail and Chicago’s light rail extension?

There are many reasons to be concerned about the project’s future. How long until the Trump administration weighs in on the IBR? They’re apparently taking a very close look now.