The effort to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge spanning the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington received a key piece of funding recently with the announcement of a $1.499 billion Federal Highway Administration Bridge Investment Program grant.

The $6 billion project to build a new Interstate 5 bridge spanning the Columbia River and connecting Oregon and Washington was relying on the grant to help replace the existing 100-year-old crossing. The two existing structures are insufficient for current traffic volumes and are at risk for collapse in the event of a major earthquake. 

“This grant award underscores the strong federal support we have in replacing the Interstate Bridge,” says Kris Strickler, Oregon Dept. of Transportation director, in a statement. “I-5 and the Interstate Bridge are essential to the prosperity of those who travel through our region and those who call it home.”

The nearly $1.5 billion grant joins the $600 million U.S. Dept. of Transportation Mega Grant, $1 billion commitment made by both Oregon and Washington and projected tolling revenues to give the project the funding it needs to proceed. The project also hopes to gain additional funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant program. 

The $1 billion commitments that came from both the Oregon legislature (2023) and Washington legislature (2022) revived a project that began in 2019 after a failed attempt between the two states to replace the bridge in a project that ran from 2005 until 2013. 

“The award of these grant dollars further cements the IBR program as a key national project for the USDOT,” says Greg Johnson, IBR program administrator in a statement. “This funding marks another key milestone for the IBR program. We are one significant step closer to providing a safe, multimodal, earthquake-resilient corridor that will better connect communities for decades into the future.” 

With I-5 the only interstate that connects Mexico and Canada on the West Coast, it is also linked to some of the world's largest ports, making the project not only a vital trade route both regionally and nationally, but also one with international significance. 

“Replacing the Interstate Bridge with a multimodal crossing is one of our highest priorities and ensures we’re building a modern bridge for modern times,” says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in a statement. 

Currently two nearly identical side-by-side lift spans cross the river at Porland, Ore. The first was constructed largely for horse-and-buggy traffic in 1917. The second opened in 1958, paid for by eight years of tolls. Over the past several decades, the current structures have struggled to meet the demand of increasing traffic demands, has heavy congestion during peak travel times and a crash rate over three times higher than statewide averages. 

A major two-state effort to replace the bridge, known as the Columbia River Crossing project, ran from 2005 until 2013. Following years of contention around design, transit inclusion and budget, the project collapsed when the Washington State Senate chose to end funding for the project. 

Six years later, the states' two governors signed a bi-state Memorandum of Intent to restart work on the Interstate Bridge. The November 2019 agreement led to the formation of the IBR program to complete the planning, design and construction work for the bridge. The program is led jointly by the Oregon and Washington state departments of transportation in coordination with eight other bi-state partner agencies. 

“This historic federal investment clearly demonstrates that improving our aging transportation system is a national priority,” says Roger Millar, Washington secretary of transportation, says in a statement. 

Pre-construction is scheduled to begin later this year with an estimated construction start date of 2026.