New cost estimates and withheld information have raised fresh questions about transparency inside the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program
A recent report by Oregon Journalism Project reporter Nigel Jaquiss details internal documents showing IBR consultants completed updated cost estimates months before legislators were told no new figures were available. Those estimates put the I-5 Bridge replacement project as high as $13.6 billion, far above earlier public numbers. In response, some lawmakers say they were misled, while IBR officials maintain the figures were only draft estimates. This poll asks whether the public believes IBR staff were truthful with lawmakers about the project’s true cost.
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Opinion: ‘The IBR team has been lying to us and thanks to a veteran Oregon journalist, we have the smoking gun’
Ken Vance argues newly obtained documents show Interstate Bridge Replacement staff withheld updated cost estimates from lawmakers and the public.
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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
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Crews will use a smart work zone system with zipper merging to reduce delays during the I-205 closure.
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