Opinion: Interstate Bridge replacement builds a path to the future

An up-close look at the Interstate 5 bridge Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2018, from the Washington side. The span, a major artery that connects Portland and Vancouver, turned 100 years old in January of 2017. In recent months, talks of replacing the aging bridge have reemerged. Mark Graves/StaffMark Graves

Greg Johnson

Johnson is program administrator for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program, the Oregon-Washington initiative to build new spans across the Columbia River.

I have walked across the Interstate Bridge close to 40 times. On those sojourns, I’ve noticed historic markers that honor the completion of the two spans across the Columbia River. These plaques were placed there over 100 years ago by people who were building something for a future they could only imagine.

Today, the Interstate Bridge Replacement program is moving ahead with a comprehensive vision for infrastructure that will offer forward-thinking solutions and help the region reap positive economic rewards for the next 100 years.

We owe this progress to the strong commitment of both states, including the $1 billion in funding approved earlier this year by the Oregon Legislature, matching Washington’s $1 billion last year, as well as tolling authorization granted in each state. Strong bi-state support has opened doors for major federal grants that would not otherwise be available to our region.

The bridge replacement program is necessary on so many levels.

Our region is destined to be critically impacted by an earthquake within the Cascadia Subduction Zone that sits just off the Oregon Coast. The existing Interstate Bridge is built on wooden pilings set in silty soil at the bottom of the Columbia River. In a major seismic event – which experts predict has a significant probability of happening within the next 50 years – the current bridge will be damaged beyond repair. To allow for immediate assistance to earthquake damaged areas and support continued regional movement, it is essential that we build a seismically resilient bridge and surrounding corridor.

While the replacement project will make this stretch safer and smoother for all travelers, we know we cannot build our way out of congestion. We also know that we need to offer more alternatives to driving. With the exception of a very narrow shared use path, the current Interstate Bridge is built for vehicles and does not accommodate high-capacity transit. The replacement project will provide our community with equitable travel options like light rail and broad paths for those who walk, bike or roll across the new bridge. Encouraging travelers to use other modes will also help ease the movement of goods currently more than $132 million in freight – across the Columbia River and along the West Coast.

The design of the existing Interstate Bridge directly impacts the environment. Right now, any stormwater runoff from the bridge goes directly into the Columbia River, carrying tire debris and hazardous materials that are harmful to salmon and other wildlife. Our design includes an enclosed drainage system that will divert all runoff to detention ponds where it will be treated before it returns to the river.

A key issue surrounding our program is its cost and how it’s being paid for, with some questioning why dollars allocated to the bridge aren’t going elsewhere. We are laser-focused on staying on schedule, which is the first key to containing costs, and we are working hard to stay within the scope of the program. We are also actively managing risks and have built into our budget reasonable expectations for inflation. But this is a critical investment for safety and for the economy. Over $2 billion in federal dollars that would not otherwise come to this region will support tens of thousands of family-wage jobs with $3.3 billion in expected gross earnings. Overall economic activity generated by the program is expected to be nearly double the cost to build the program.

This project has been talked about and studied for so long that the price is almost double that of earlier projections. The longer we delay, the more it will cost in the future to replace the bridge, which has already exceeded its expected life. With bi-state cooperation and the availability of federal funds, we must take this opportunity to build for a future that we can only imagine. Like those who raised the steel and concrete here more than 100 years ago, this will be our legacy.

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