Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), along with FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt, WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar, ODOT Director Kris Strickler, and Sens. Patty Murray (WA) and Maria Cantwell (WA), held an event recognizing last month’s federal investment to replace the I-5 Bridge.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez helped secure the $1.499 billion award, which is the largest announced to date under the FHWA’s Bridge Investment Program (BIP). In December, the Congresswoman also helped bring home a $600 million federal grant for the project – the largest ever under the Mega Program.

Video of Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s remarks can be viewed here.

In February, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez visited the I-5 Bridge with DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and met with union members, apprentices, and students in the trades – who will work on local projects like the I-5 Bridge replacement project. She has spoken directly with Secretary Buttigieg to advocate for the BIP grant, hosted White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to underscore the urgent need for federal funding, and led her bipartisan colleagues to urge the House Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Bridge Investment Program.

“When we brought $600 million home to replace the deteriorating, functionally obsolete I-5 Bridge last year, I promised to keep fighting tooth and nail for every federal dollar possible. It’s the only way to ensure we feel the benefits of our tax dollars and get this colossal undertaking done,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “By bringing back nearly $1.5 billion for this project, we’ll be strengthening our local economy, honoring the trades, and keeping drivers, commuters, and truckers safe and on the move. I brought Secretary Buttigieg to the bridge to show him the dire need for replacement firsthand, as well as stressing the importance of this federal grant whenever we spoke. We’re now one major step closer to getting the I-5 Bridge replaced and powering good, family-wage trades jobs in Southwest Washington.”

“Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program, we are reinvesting in our infrastructure and ensuring vital connections for Americans who need to get to a job, a doctor, or a class,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “This grant in Oregon and Washington state is helping to advance a critical bridge project that will improve safety, the overall quality of life and ensure this country’s infrastructure works for everyone.”

“The historic federal investment now committed to the program is a clear indication of how significant replacing our aging transportation system is to the region and the nation,” said WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar. “The unwavering support and collaboration of regional partners, state leaders, our congressional delegation and our federal partners demonstrates that this critical effort has the support needed at all levels to continue the momentum needed to see it through to completion.”  

“We are incredibly grateful to our federal partners for this strong show of confidence that they agree replacing the Interstate Bridge is a national priority that cannot wait,” said ODOT Director Kris Strickler. “This is a huge milestone for the project that was made possible by leveraging the strong commitments already made by both states and the ongoing partnership and commitment of everyone involved at the local, regional and federal levels.”

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. The IBR Program 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 Oregon and the fifth-worst on the West Coast, with seven to 10 hours of congestion during the morning and evening commute periods. The area’s current crash rate is over three times higher than statewide averages. 

Beyond this, 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 WSDOT and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Tens of thousands of jobs across multiple industries will be generated during the replacement bridge’s construction period – benefiting local businesses, tradespeople, and their families. Construction activity could begin as soon as late 2025.