Lars Larson addresses the delay in updated cost projections of the I-5 Bridge replacement project
Lars Larson
The Northwest Nonsense
You wanna bet Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) Administrator Greg Johnson didn’t drop the Interstate Bridge ten-billion-dollar-price-bomb at Portland City Hall this week because the legislature’s plan for a record tax hike got held up?
Only five years ago, Johnson told Oregon and Washington the new I-5 Bridge would cost less than $5 billion. Two years later, his estimate jacked up 50-percent to $7.5 billion.
Standard practice for ODOT … lowball the hell out of a project and tell the buyers – citizens – the bad news when it’s too late to shout “stop.”
Johnson has promised a new cost estimate over and over for the past two years … each time delaying it … like someone who just doesn’t have the guts to deliver bad news.
No one expects the new number to be less than $9 billion … and most, like economist Joe Cortright, predict $10 billion … more than a 100 percent increase in just five years.
I bet if Oregon Democrats had delivered that historic record tax increase they planned last weekend, Johnson would have dropped the news this week.
Instead, he now promises the new estimate later this year or early next year … when he plans to start construction of this already failed project.
They don’t have the money to build it.
The Coast Guard has not given its required approval
Public opposition to funding from freeway tolling remains fierce.
But as long as he hides the bad news, Greg Johnson can keep cashing the checks from his six figure salary.
Also read:
- Opinion: ‘A more responsible approach must be sought’
Ken Vance argues a $10 billion funding gap makes the phased I-5 Bridge approach fiscally reckless, not responsible. - ‘Light rail to nowhere’? Surging costs undercut I-5 bridge transit plan
Vancouver’s promised light rail extension to Library Square has no timeline, and the waterfront station would sit 90 feet above ground. - Washington, Oregon transportation commissions to discuss Interstate 5 bridge tolling
Washington and Oregon commissions will jointly review I-5 bridge toll rate options and discount analysis on June 5. - County Public Works reminds residents to secure loads before hauling, to reduce dangerous roadside debris and litter
Unsecured vehicle loads cause more than 300 Washington crashes annually and dumped 150,000+ lbs of litter in Clark County in 2025. - Weekend paving work closes southbound I-205 entrance from I-5 in Vancouver May 29-31
Crews will use a smart work zone system with zipper merging to reduce delays during the I-205 closure.
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