PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As Washington State’s 2023 legislative session came to a close in late April, Vancouver’s Mayor is urging Oregon lawmakers to match the $1 billion the Evergreen State has offered for the Interstate 5 Bridge replacement project.
“We’re just hoping that Oregon gets back to the table and continues working on this. You’ve got a very strong message there, for all those potential employers, that Oregon is open for business and they’re ready to open that modern, reliable, safe transportation,” Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle said. “Hopefully it’s a bridge that comes sooner rather than the earthquake.”
The bridge replacement project aims to add shoulders to improve congestion, and dedicated space for public transportation, pedestrians and bikers along with seismic retrofitting.
“We’re just hoping the Oregon legislature, the lawmakers, match our $1 billion. We were happy to see that everyone believes the bridge needs to be rebuilt. We just need to figure out a way to fund it,” McEnerny-Ogle said.
According to the Vancouver mayor, the project costs an estimated $6.3 billion and says federal funding is available to supplement the cost, in addition to state funding and tolling to pay for construction. The mayor also warns that the longer the project is delayed, the more costs add up.
“The federal government is looking at Oregon to put their $1 billion in and then tolling is part of that package. Even though [Oregon Governor Tina Kotek] put a pause on a type of tolling, this bridge tolling is a whole separate system,” McEnerny-Ogle explained.
An amendment to Oregon House Bill 2098 proposes $1 billion for the project and the bill is scheduled for a joint committee work session on May 16.
As Oregon’s legislative session ends in late June, the mayor says now is the time to put the money forward for the project before federal funding is spent elsewhere.
“We’re going to work on our side of the river, we hope Oregon works on their side of the river to keep on this timeline and get that federal money before it goes to another state,” McEnerny-Ogle said.
The mayor added, “my stomach is in knots. We know we can lose this bridge and we won’t get a third try. If the two states can’t get their act together at two different times, there won’t be a third try until this bridge goes down and the federal government will makes all of the decisions and not involve us in the design or anything.”
“We are not at a point of certainty right now,” McEnerny-Ogle said. “We all know the design isn’t done but all of these steps need to start falling into place immediately and before summer time.”