of federal funds to our region that will support local jobs and broader workforce opportunities,” Kotek said in a written statement. Bridge planners moved forward last year with designs that included a light rail connection into Vancouver, but also added two more lanes to the bridge. Previous efforts to replace the bridge failed in 2014, largely due to Washington lawmakers’ reluctance to pay for it over opposition to light rail. While acknowledging the need to replace the 100-year- old bridge with a new, seismically sound one, Oregon lawmakers have dragged their feet on making decisions about the project. They ended this year’s legislative session without passing a policy bill to fund the bridge. The Legislature did ultimately pass a broad budget bill that contained language to borrow $1 billion over eight years to pay for
the bridge. But that bill lacked the specific language of the previous one about the scope of the project. Other details, such as the height of the bridge and how big it should be, have also hampered progress. The U.S. Coast Guard, which must sign off on the bridge plan, has said it will not approve a bridge unless it has 178 feet of clearance — or a drawbridge — to accommodate vessels navigating the river and ferrying products manufactured by local companies. But building a bridge with a movable span would be more expensive. Environmental activists are fervently opposed to the proposed designs. Some want a smaller design that doesn’t add new freeway lanes. They say cost savings could pay for other local transportation safety improvements. Others have pushed for replacing the aging bridge with a tunnel, a longshot option public officials consider impractical.
The renderings below were created to help visualize what a proposed replacement bridge could look like. The visualizations show different bridge types based upon the three configurations currently being analyzed in the environmental review process: single-level, double-level and movable bridge configurations.
Single-Level Bridge - Finback
Double-Level Bridge - Truss
Moveable Bridge - Steel Gider (open)
Images courtesy of Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.
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January 2024 | The Business Review
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