Gluesenkamp Perez Helps Secure $30 Million for I-5 Freeway Lid to Connect Downtown to Historic Fort Vancouver and Surrounding Neighborhoods

Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), alongside Sens. Patty Murray (WA) and Maria Cantwell (WA), helped secure a $30 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program for the Vancouver Community Connector Lid Project.

With the funding, the City of Vancouver, in partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation, will construct a lid over Interstate 5 to connect downtown Vancouver, the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and surrounding neighborhoods. The project, located immediately south of Evergreen Boulevard, will create public spaces and active transportation pathways that are a component of the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) Program. In September, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez wrote to the Department of Transportation in support of the project.

“As we build a new I-5 Bridge that we take pride in, we have the opportunity to safely and durably connect downtown with the historic Fort Vancouver and its surrounding neighborhoods,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “By bringing home funds to construct a cover over I-5 in downtown Vancouver, we’ll be able to create a public space with more ways to walk, bike, and explore our community and its history. It will benefit families, local small businesses, and the skilled tradespeople working on this project for years to come.”

“We worked hard to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because we knew how much of a difference this historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure would make in Washington state—and today, thanks to that law, we’re seeing hundreds of local projects newly underway, upgrading our roads, ports, and transit systems, and better connecting our communities,” said Sen. Murray. “I’m excited to announce this latest round of awards, which includes $30 million to build a highway cover over I-5 in downtown Vancouver—this will create more public space and active transportation options while reconnecting downtown Vancouver to the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and it’s a critical part of the Interstate Bridge Replacement project I’ve been working to advance for decades. I’ll keep fighting in the new Congress to bring home federal funding to Washington state at every opportunity and protect the laws Democrats passed that are helping people and solving problems in our communities.”

“With this funding, the City of Vancouver and WSDOT will be able to ensure the Vancouver Waterfront and Downtown remain beautiful and enjoyable places to spend time at when the I-5 bridge replacement project is completed,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This park over I-5 will give people more green space to enjoy and allow visitor and commuters to easily and safety walk or bike right to the new transit options taking them across the river.”

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has urged the IBR Program to prioritize Southwest Washington bridge users’ concerns in the final project design – both through the cost-effective use of resources to cut tolling and increased vehicular capacity to reduce congestion. She has written to the IBR Program, expressed concerns with tolling proposals, and submitted her own public comment on the Draft SEIS.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has also continued to engage a wide range of community stakeholders about the I-5 Bridge replacement, holding a roundtable on local priorities and meeting with union members, apprentices, and trades students who will work on the project.

These efforts come after the lawmakers helped secure $2.099 billion in federal funding to replace the I-5 Bridge, including a $1.499 billion Bridge Investment Program (BIP) grant in 2024 and a $600 million Mega grant in 2023.

An interactive map of community investments supported by the Congresswoman can be found at gluesenkampperez.house.gov/invest.