08.08.24

Cantwell Celebrates Additional $1.5 Billion for I-5 Bridge Replacement Project

Sen. Cantwell has helped secure $2.1 billion in federal funding for the project

VANCOUVER, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt to celebrate $1.5 billion for the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) Program – the organization tasked with replacing the I-5 Bridge connecting Portland and Southwest Washington. This federal funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Bridge Investment Program (BIP).

“We're here today to talk about the largest single federal transportation investment award in the State of Washington, we are here to celebrate the largest MEGA grant ever awarded, and we are here to celebrate the largest bridge grant ever awarded,” said Sen. Cantwell. “We're here to celebrate the vision of this region and building this bridge for the future.”

Sen. Cantwell continued: “That is why the infrastructure investment in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is so critical. It's not just about building the bridge, although it's the key component. It's about opportunities for new businesses. It's about creating new hires. It's about growth and prosperity.”

Sen. Cantwell and Admin. Bhatt joined U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Oregon DOT Director Kris Strickler, WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar, and other state and local leaders to celebrate the grant award.

This grant, officially announced in July, is the third federal grant awarded to the I-5 bridge project. In December 2023, the project was awarded the largest-ever grant through the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, or Mega program, which was created by Sen. Cantwell with the I-5 bridge in mind. In 2022, the project was also awarded a $1 million seismic study grant through the Bridge Investment Program’s planning grants.

With this award, total federal funding for the project is $2.1 billion, making it the largest federal investment ever in a transportation project in the State of Washington. Federal grants announced so far will fund approximately a third of the estimated $5-7.5 billion total bridge replacement project cost. The bridge replacement project remains eligible for other sources of federal funding, including the Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant Program.

The funding announced from the BIP represents another vote of confidence in the importance of the IBR program. Because the U.S. has so many bridges in need of repair, the BIP is very competitive. Even though the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicated $12.5 billion to the BIP, in 2022, only 10 percent of BIP applicants were awarded funding.  

Sen. Cantwell has worked to dedicate more dollars to the BIP. Earlier this year, Senator Cantwell led her colleagues in sending a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development urging support for an additional $2 billion for BIP in the FY 2025 Appropriations Bill.

The I-5 Bridge is a crucial linchpin in both the regional and national economy and plays a vital role in transporting freight along the I-5 corridor. IBR reports that $132 million worth of freight crossed the I-5 Bridge daily in 2020. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, an estimated total of $97 billion in goods traveled by truck either from Washington to Oregon or California, or from Oregon or California to Washington in 2022. The route is also vital to international exporters; in 2021, nearly $2 billion worth of goods from California and $750 million worth of goods from Oregon were trucked to Canada via the I-5 corridor. According to the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council an average of 131,747 vehicles crossed the bridge each weekday in 2021, including many of the 65,000 Clark County residents who work in Oregon.

Despite the bridge’s importance, it’s rated the worst truck bottleneck in Washington and the fifth-worst on the West Coast, with seven to 10 hours of congestion during the morning and evening commute periods.

In addition, there are significant issues with the aging existing bridge. One span is more than a century old and the other is more than 65 years old. Neither span has had a seismic retrofit, which is a significant concern in a region susceptible to earthquake activity: the entire structure is at risk of collapse in the event of a major earthquake. Moreover, simply maintaining the existing structure is expensive. Annual maintenance costs are about $1.2 million per year and larger maintenance projects needed to simply maintain the bridge are expected to cost $280 million by 2040 – not including the cost of a seismic retrofit, which would be substantial. Today, these maintenance costs are split equally between the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

A one-pager on Sen. Cantwell’s history of leadership establishing the Mega program in the BIL, as well as championing the I-5 Bridge replacement project overall, is available HERE.

In January, Sen. Cantwell held a roundtable discussion with local leaders, stakeholders, and other federal officials. The group toured the I-5 Bridge and discussed future funding opportunities for completion of the replacement project. [PRESS RELEASE | PHOTOS]

In spring of 2022, Sen. Cantwell toured the I-5 Bridge along with local and regional leaders; photos of that tour are available for download HERE and video is HERE.

Video of today’s press conference is available HERE, audio HERE, photos HERE, and transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks HERE. 

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