Soaring costs and delays renew debate over I-5 Bridge replacement
The Interstate 5 Bridge replacement is now expected to cost up to $10 billion, with final environmental approvals delayed until 2026 and construction possibly not beginning until 2032 or later. Lawmakers in Washington and Oregon are divided — some remain committed to completing the full project, while others argue it has spiraled into a costly “boondoggle” that should be dramatically scaled back or even ended. This week’s poll asks whether you think lawmakers should consider pulling the plug on the project.
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I-5 Bridge replacement slogs through permitting as costs rise
The I-5 Bridge replacement could cost $10 billion as delays push final environmental review to 2026, leaving lawmakers frustrated over rising costs and uncertain timeline...
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- 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. - Opinion: IBR falsely blaming inflation
Joe Cortright argues that inflation explains only a small portion of the IBR project’s cost increases and that rising consultant and staff expenses are the primary drivers. - Letter: The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s $141 million bribe can be better spent on sandwich steel-concrete tubes
Bob Ortblad argues that an immersed tunnel using sandwich steel-concrete tubes would be a more cost-effective alternative to the current Interstate Bridge Replacement Program design. - A sub-district vote could be a way to go to pay O&M costs associated with light rail
Clark County Council members heard details on how a voter-approved C-TRAN sub-district could be created to fund long-term operations and maintenance costs for light rail tied to a new Interstate Bridge. - Letter: British Columbia’s new immersed tunnel can solve Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s $17.7 billion problem
Bob Ortblad argues that an immersed tunnel similar to a project underway in British Columbia could significantly reduce costs and impacts associated with the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.
Dump light rail. It is an extravagant waste that more than doubles if not triples the cost of the project. Four lanes both directions, if not five depending on how SR14, Tomahawk Island, and Hayden Island interchanges fit in (the current ramps and marge points are a joke). The span must include space and height for existing river traffic and future growth. Keep the design simple. Otherwise, to hell with it.
Loot rail has got to go. Trimet just announced a $300 Million hole in their budget, mainly because ridership has dropped so much. They are saying that they may have to cut service on the Green Line as early as 2027, and service cuts to several bus lines as soon as this November. Attempting to partner with any failing transit agency like C-Tran is attempting to do via the IBR is financial suicide.
It is astounding that the spending on this effort is rapidly approaching what the failed CCP spent, with exactly the same results. Time to cut our losses once and for all. Vancouver & Clark County cannot afford our equivalent to Boston’s “Big Dig”.
These people will have spent their entire careers on this project and solved nothing except to collect their PERS pension. We have the wrong group working this boondoggle from CRC to IBR to ???!