VANCOUVER, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee stopped in Vancouver on Thursday for a tour of the Interstate Bridge, a visit that he said was intended to reinforce Washington's commitment to getting the aging twin structure replaced, especially with the project heading into a critical phase where it will need to land billions of dollars in federal funding.
The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program has been making good progress, he said, citing the $1 billion commitments that Oregon and Washington have both made to the project in the past two years. He said he thinks federal transportation officials understand the importance of replacing the bridge, not only for the Portland region but the entire west coast, adding that he plans to speak with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg next week to emphasize the point.
Inslee also emphasized the bike, pedestrian and mass transit components of the planned replacement bridge, saying the project fits well with the Biden administration's climate goals.
"No decisions have been made at the federal level," Inslee said, "but we believe that we have a compelling and confident and now very partnership-based position to go to the federal government for these assets."
The replacement crossing is expected to cost about $6 billion in total, and the IBR team hopes to ultimately secure as much as $2.5 billion in federal dollars, primarily through a trio of grant programs from the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration.
The first of those hoped-for big grant awards is expected to be announced in early 2024, according to the project website. The program did apply for one of the federal grants last year and was rejected, but IBR program administrator Greg Johnson said the team is confident things will be different this time around.
"We knew that we were early," he said. "We were asked to apply for that grant by our federal partners to make sure they understood the interest in the grant program by this program. This year... we think that we are well-positioned to be competitive."
Despite their age and seismic vulnerability, the current twin bridges are still safe to drive over, Washington Transportation Secretary Roger Millar added. Both spans are well-maintained and regularly inspected to keep them safe, he said, although the cost of that work is rising over time as the bridges get older.
"We know that unfortunately, it is safe to travel now, but it's very susceptible to small earth movements and small tremors," Inslee said. "And we cannot simply sit by and allow this bridge to be down for years if there's a small earthquake. That has to be remediated."
The project is currently going through the federal environmental review process, and officials hope to begin construction in 2026. Early plans call for a new set of twin bridges that would carry four lanes of traffic in each direction, plus a light rail extension to Vancouver and a larger bike and pedestrian path than on the current bridges.