A vital link between Oregon and Washington for goods movement has received almost $1.5 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program — the program’s biggest award so far, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced Aug. 8.
The grant benefits the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, which aims to replace a pair of old vertical lift bridges that stretches Interstate 5 over the Columbia River and connects Portland, Oregon and Vancouver in Washington.
The bridge connects Oregon and Washington on I-5, a critical route for global and international trade, with more than $132 million in goods using the bridge daily. The bridge also has one of the worst truck bottlenecks on the West Coast.
When completed, the new span is expected to be more resilient to earthquakes and more accessible to pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and transit riders.
“The I-5 bridge is a linchpin of local commutes and our international trade network. One out of five dollars of goods produced in Washington and Oregon – over $130 million worth of freight – crosses the Columbia River every day,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said.
“Today, we are farther along in the bridge replacement process than we’ve ever been, thanks to the strongest federal support for any infrastructure project in our state’s history,” she continued. “This huge new federal grant will help us deliver a bridge that can serve Clark County and the whole nation for the next 100 years.”
Construction could start as early as late 2025, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
