Rep. John Ley challenges statement by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle on the departure of IBR administrator

Rep. John Ley 
for Clark County Today

In a KGW news report announcing the departure of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) Administrator Greg Johnson, Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle made a ridiculous statement. 

“I can only imagine how disappointed he must be that the federal government has not yet moved forward with the bridge and that the Record of Decision remains unfinished,” McEnerny-Ogle said. 

Vancouver’s mayor also states that she understood Johnson’s original commitment was for about three to five years. Then why didn’t they already have a replacement picked to ensure a smooth transition?

A Record of Decision (ROD) cannot be given by the federal government until Johnson’s team answers all 10,000 comments citizens submitted 11 months ago during the Environmental Impact Statement process. They have not done that yet. Johnson told the Oregon Transportation Commission they don’t expect to have the answers completed until December.

It will take many, many months for Department of Transportation (DOT) staff to review the IBR’s responses to those 10,000 questions. The IBR calls for a ROD in the Spring of 2026. Most people believe that’s way too optimistic, with some suggesting it wouldn’t come until 2027.

The current administration will not be in any hurry to green light the project. In fact many people see significant signs of a pending rejection.

Additionally, a ROD cannot be issued until the Coast Guard gives their approval of the bridge height and issues a permit allowing construction. Over three years ago, the Coast Guard rejected their request for 116 feet of navigation clearance for marine traffic.

“IBR’s proposed bridge […] with its 35% reduction […] from 178 feet to 116 feet is contradictory to the U.S. Coast Guard’s mandate from Congress to maintain freedom of navigation on the navigable waters of the U.S. and to prevent impairment to U.S. navigable waterways,” reads the June 17, 2022 letter from B.J. Harris, chief of the Waterways Management Branch in Coast Guard District 13.

Johnson’s team just submitted a revised Navigation Impact Report (NIR) to the Coast Guard who has 90 days to evaluate it, including a 30-day public comment period. An additional challenge is the Seattle Coast Guard staff doing the evaluation are civilians, presently laid off due to the Congressional budget battle and shutdown of the federal government. This 90-day clock won’t start until the budget is settled and Coast Guard staff are back at work.

The mayor knows this part is not complete as well as the fact that the responses to citizens comments are incomplete. The Coast Guard is likely to reject the IBR demand again for 116 feet of clearance if one reads the submission.

Earlier this month, Johnson’s team announced an 84 percent cut in transit ridership for the program. This eliminates the need for any “high capacity” transit on the project and it would not be unreasonable if the federal government required a revision/update to the EIS before proceeding.

The reality is 100 percent of the delay is on Greg Johnson and his team! The entire process is two years or more behind the original timeline. That’s the Johnson “record” and an indication of why he’s leaving. 

Johnson doesn’t want to be around when the Coast Guard rejects the “bridge too low” for a second time. He doesn’t want to be here when the Trump administration pulls federal funding, and the mayor knows it.