Lawmakers left without updated cost estimates as bridge design and funding questions remain unresolved
Members of the Washington-Oregon Interstate Bridge Replacement Program legislative oversight committee met this week without receiving updated cost estimates or final design decisions for the I-5 Bridge replacement. Rep. John Ley criticized the lack of clarity, noting the project is already estimated at $7.5 billion and remains dependent on unresolved issues such as bridge clearance, transit funding, and overall scope. As costs continue to rise and both states face tighter transportation budgets, lawmakers are weighing difficult choices about the project’s future direction.
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Rep. John Ley issues statement after I-5 Bridge replacement meeting yields few answers
Rep. John Ley criticized the IBR Program for failing to provide updated cost estimates or key design decisions following a recent legislative oversight committee meeting.
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- Letter: Interstate Bridge Replacement $13.6 billion estimate is too low!
Bob Ortblad argues the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s $13.6 billion cost estimate understates the true expense, citing comparable projects, construction challenges, and engineering assumptions. - Opinion: ‘The drama and the waste of taxpayer money continues’
Rep. John Ley outlines his objections to the approved fixed-span I-5 Bridge design, citing cost concerns, engineering standards, funding uncertainty, and opposition to light rail and tolls. - Coast Guard approves fixed-span design for new Interstate Bridge
The U.S. Coast Guard has approved a fixed-span design for the new Interstate Bridge, clearing a major hurdle for the Interstate Bridge Replacement project. - Opinion: When fast feels slow
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Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance sharply criticizes WSDOT Secretary Julie Meredith’s defense of the Interstate Bridge Replacement project, arguing the escalating cost estimates undermine claims the project is cost-effective.
This is the most ridiculous process ever. The opinion of the funding public should carry the most weight on this project, as it seems that anyone put in charge of development is incapable of doing the public’s bidding. We’re paying for it, we’re going to use it, it should be built the way we want it. It is beyond me why this is such a difficult thing to grasp. So far, we’re 0 for 2 on the I-5 project. We need people with a spine and some common sense on the team!
This needs to be a simple cost effective usable bridge, not someones ultimate dream creation…simplify and get on with it!
Maybe the clowns should keep talking about it for years to come and keep paying themselves for all the time they waste talking about it and how can they force light rail to be included in the project. Or perhaps they could have built additional plain bridges by now in various areas in the area so that there should have been 4 or 5 crossings by now.