Oregon and Washington lawmakers mull over future of I-5 Bridge
The question of what to do about the aging Interstate 5 Bridge, which spans the Columbia River, is still unanswered, and both Oregon and Washington have a vested interest in finding a solution.
The economies of Oregon and Washington are dependent on the I-5 Bridge; however, the span, which opened in 1917, does not have the capacity to handle the current traffic, thereby creating congestion issues for vehicles, particularly trucks. Additionally, the present structure is not earthquake resilient.
The last time the subject of replacing the I-5 Bridge was addressed, it faltered. Replacement bridge plans were abandoned in 2013 following lawmakers of Washington state pulling out of funding the proposed bridge, named the ‘Columbia River Crossing’.
Recently, the governors of Oregon and Washington have stated they are now committed to a fresh Interstate Bridge project. A Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee has been formed and each of the states has appointed eight lawmakers to be part of the committee.
State officials sometimes employ printing services to keep their constituents apprised of current projects on which they are working.
KATU’s Steve Dunn discussed the bridge project on an episode of Your Voice and Your Vote with four committee members – two from Oregon and two from Washington. The participants were Democrat Representative Sharon Wylie and Republican Representative Paul Harris from Washington state and from Oregon respectively, Republican Representative Ron Noble, and Democrat Representative Susan McLain who serves as a co-chair on the I-5 Bridge panel.
The economies of Oregon and Washington are dependent on the I-5 Bridge; however, the span, which opened in 1917, does not have the capacity to handle the current traffic, thereby creating congestion issues for vehicles, particularly trucks. Additionally, the present structure is not earthquake resilient.
The last time the subject of replacing the I-5 Bridge was addressed, it faltered. Replacement bridge plans were abandoned in 2013 following lawmakers of Washington state pulling out of funding the proposed bridge, named the ‘Columbia River Crossing’.
Recently, the governors of Oregon and Washington have stated they are now committed to a fresh Interstate Bridge project. A Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee has been formed and each of the states has appointed eight lawmakers to be part of the committee.
State officials sometimes employ printing services to keep their constituents apprised of current projects on which they are working.
KATU’s Steve Dunn discussed the bridge project on an episode of Your Voice and Your Vote with four committee members – two from Oregon and two from Washington. The participants were Democrat Representative Sharon Wylie and Republican Representative Paul Harris from Washington state and from Oregon respectively, Republican Representative Ron Noble, and Democrat Representative Susan McLain who serves as a co-chair on the I-5 Bridge panel.