
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.
More info:
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.
Read more
Also read:
- Opinion: Portland’s War on Cars Part 4 – A smarter automobile strategy to end gridlockO’Toole argues fuel wasted in Portland-area congestion has sextupled since 1982, generating 250,000 tons of extra greenhouse gases annually.
- Opinion: Transit ridership trends are dismal but regional plans are obliviousPuget Sound transit passenger-miles fell 31% from 2015 to 2024 despite a half-million-resident population increase.
- Interstate Bridge Replacement Program seeks qualified firms for bridge replacement contractThe CRBR project is backed by $5.7 billion from state funds, federal grants, and future tolling.
- Opinion: Bankrupt – A $3.5 billion Rose Quarter Freeway widening projectJoe Cortright argues ODOT’s Rose Quarter project has grown from a $450M approval to a $3.5B estimate, with a $2B funding gap.
- Opinion: Portland’s War on Cars 3 – Ending the war on automobilesO’Toole argues Portland should add toll lanes, fix safety hazards, and redesign TriMet routes to end its anti-auto policies.






