Don’t expect the drive from Portland to Washington’s Vancouver to get any cheaper whenever the rickety bridge between them is replaced.
When was precisely the word Gov. Bob Ferguson used at a Tuesday press conference. Flanked by lawmakers and hardhats from Oregon and Washington, he ran some sobering new numbers on the decades-old saga about replacing the Interstate-5 Bridge from Vancouver, Washington, to Portland. At present, the venture is slated to cost around $14.4 billion or about $2.2 billion more than either state (plus Uncle Sam) have budgeted for.
Hence the build-now, pay-later plan from Ferguson and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek to fund the five-mile project in phases starting with a “core set of projects,” which include replacing the twin spans and light rail access. What they don’t include are new or wider freeway interchanges as previously proposed. That bargain-bin version of the project would cost $7.65 billion and a new I-5 bridge, minus the light rail part, would cost up to $5.9 billion.
The numbers above are nothing new thanks to Portland economist Joe Cortright, who found that officials sat on those figures for months. We at The Observer are old enough to remember when this project went for $13.6 billion in January and just $6 billion in 2022.
On its face, Tuesday’s news is a big win for urbanists and avid train riders. Politicos of a certain age can remember the I-5 Bridge Replacement coming with a light rail plan ever since Washington Republicans killed it, citing Portland TriMet’s pension liability.
Still, the fact remains that if the project can move forward without light rail, as the states might kick it to the curb if the project’s price tag surges again.
Oregon and Washington leaders are set on seeing the I-5 Bridge Replacement break ground in 2028. Tolls for the existing bridge to pay for its successor are slated for Spring 2027 and should go for $1.50 to $4.75. Don’t be shocked if those tolls go up.
This story also appears in The Washington Observer
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