Coast Guard clears a major hurdle to Columbia River bridge project

The long-delayed replacement of the bridge carrying Interstate 5 across the Columbia River received a shot in the arm last week when the U.S. Coast Guard approved a fixed-bridge design.

Politicians and planners have spent decades trying to work out the design and financing of a replacement for the aged Interstate Bridge connecting Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.

Constructing a fixed bridge with a116-foot clearance as opposed to a movable bridge could reduce construction costs by up to $1 billion and prevent commuter logjams by eliminating the need to pause traffic to lift the bridge for larger vessels, according to a statement from U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat.

The approval eliminates one of the problems with the existing Interstate Bridge, which has two spans: one that opened in 1917 and the other in 1958.

"This approval means the Coast Guard determined the new bridge doesn't need to have a lift, which will eliminate the only stoplight on Interstate 5, put an end to commute interruptions, and save millions in construction costs," Cantwell said.

"The Coast Guard's decision is a major step toward finally completing the U.S. Department of Transportation's environmental review and enabling construction to start later this year," said Cantwell, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which oversees the Coast Guard.

The lift span over the current bridge opens an average of 250 times per year depending on river levels, and up to 480 times some years, backing up traffic on an already congested corridor, according to the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program's website. The average lift stops traffic for 15-20 minutes, the website said.

Though the region's politicians largely lauded the decision as a win, the project faces substantial headwinds, including a controversy stirred up when the Oregon Journalism Project reported the bridge project's staff had withheld from its political overseers cost estimates that have ballooned to $13.5 billion for a fixed-span bridge from estimates between $5 billion and $7.5 billion in 2022.

Both states also have been wrestling with transportation budget pressures.

Interim Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Administrator Carley Francis didn't provide updated total estimates in an emailed response, saying they won't be available until spring.

"Now that the IBR Program has a decision from the U.S. Coast Guard allowing construction of a fixed-span bridge at 116 feet vertical clearance, we're working to more accurately forecast anticipated risks to cost and schedule to produce an updated cost estimate, which we expect to have in March," Francis said.

The project leaders are "finalizing work on the federal environmental review with the aim of receiving an amended record of decision this spring and approval to begin construction," she said.

The project has state and federal commitments of $2.1 billion in federal grant funding and $2.2 billion in state funding from Oregon and Washington. The two states have also authorized tolling of the Interstate Bridge, which is expected to contribute $1.6 billion for construction, she said.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signedHouse Bill 1958 in May approving up to $2.5 billion in bond authorization for the design, right-of-way, and construction of the project. The bonds could be issued as state general obligation bonds payable from toll revenue; excise taxes on fuel and vehicle-related fees; or as revenue bonds to be repaid by toll revenues, according to the bill's language.

Oregon in May sold $246.8 million of general obligation bonds to finance the start of the project. The deal represents the first of Oregon's commitment to issue $250 million of GO bonds in each of four successive biennia for a total of $1 billion, a spokesperson for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program told The Bond Buyer in June.

Washington has not issued any of the bonds approved in HB 1958, said Aaron Sherman, communications director for the state treasurer. "We are still working through the financial plan and the timing of debt issuances," he said.

"The Coast Guard's decision is an important milestone in moving this critical infrastructure project forward," Sherman said. "The approval for a fixed span bridge will be the less expensive option to build and operate, which will be helpful over the long term."

The project leaders have also applied for an additional $1 billion from the Federal Transit Administration to help fund the extension of Portland TriMet light rail across the new bridge into Vancouver.

"The timeline for construction of the full five miles of program investments will be sequenced beginning with the main river bridge and roadway approaches," Francis said. "This would then be followed by construction of other elements, once the structures over the Columbia River are complete."

The plan would replace the existing lift bridge with a wider bridge or two side-by-side bridges over the Columbia River and replace the mainline I-5 approach structures to tie into the existing highway alignments at Hayden Island in Portland and downtown Vancouver. The project also involves five miles of highway expansions to ten or twelve lanes and the rebuilding of seven interchanges.

There are three different fixed bridge designs under consideration.

The project managers are "working to identify the best path to start construction activities with the funding available," Francis said. "This work includes identifying and refining costs associated with materials, schedule, and labor for each element that would be delivered as part of this first set of investments."

Nearly half of the $2.1 billion in federal funding committed to the project by the Biden administration could be in jeopardy if construction doesn't start by September 2026.

The project, resuscitated in 2019, builds off an earlier plan called the Columbia River Crossing that was scrapped in 2014 after nearly a decade of work. Then-Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber shelved the project after Oregon lawmakers approved $450 million in funding, but Washington lawmakers refused to approve matching funds.

Both states wrestled with budget shortfalls last year. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed a $2.1 billion supplemental transportation budget in December to pay for road and bridge maintenance projects that also includes repairs needed after the state was hit with a series of powerful rain storms in December.

Oregon has been struggling to cover basic transportation costs and lawmakers went into special session late last year after they failed to pass a transportation budget. In September, lawmakers approved House Bill 3991, a series of tax and fee increases in the special session to fund transportation, but Republicans then secured signatures in the hope of getting a measure on the ballot in November to ask voters to overturn the increases. The Secretary of State certified the 250,000 signatures collected this month, allowing the measure to move to the ballot.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek was forced to pause the expected transportation funding measures pending the outcome of the measure, then two weeks ago asked lawmakers to repeal the transportation funding package she had championed.

Kotek announced her plan, which she characterized as "redirect, repeal and rebuild," at the Oregon Transportation Forum's annual meeting on Jan. 7.

"The decisions we make in the coming weeks will determine whether Oregon's transportation system continues to decline or whether we can restore certainty in needed essential services that Oregonians rely on," Kotek said in her speech. "These decisions won't be easy. There will be tradeoffs and consequences. Hundreds of people will be laid off this spring if we are not successful. Giving up is not an option."

Despite each state's transportation funding challenges, both governors released supportive statements about the Coast Guard's Interstate Bridge decision.

"The IBR Program now has the clarity it needs to advance and position us to build a safer, multimodal river crossing and corridor that will serve both states for generations," Kotek said.

"A fixed span bridge has overwhelming support from the maritime industry, businesses and community groups," Ferguson said.

"I look forward to continuing our progress to replace this 108-year-old bridge," he added.