The Interstate 5 Bridge over the Columbia River
A feisty debate at the state capitol on Thursday over bridge tolls that would pay for the long awaited I-5 bridge project.
“The most likely outcome is a $6B replacement structure” project administrator Greg Johnson told a House Committee replacing the 106 year old span over the Columbia River, connecting Washington and Oregon, will cost billions, “We will be applying for federal grants starting in May to make sure we solidify what the state contributions will be to this project.”
Money from the federal government often comes with a shelf life like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 “This is a once in a lifetime level of investment in infrastructure” according to Johnson “and it does have a window where it will not be there, so that makes this critical.”
Washington & Oregon are committing a billion dollars each, federal money could top $2.5 billion and bridge tolls would cover the rest.
“This is an aging bridge on a critical I-5 corridor that needs to be replaced with a modern earthquake resilient structure” Vancouver, Washington Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle has been fighting this fight for decades “We’ve been in Washington D.C. and we’ve asked how major projects such as this one are being funded and nearly every single one has tolling necessary to complete the construction.”
Nothing is firm, but tolls could reportedly run anywhere from a $1.50 to $3.50 during rush hour “We think that would probably be mid to late 2026” that’s a target date for starting to collect bridge tolls on the current span, Johnson says.
A new bridge would be complete no later than 2031.
