Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez visits the I-5 Bridge with White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) welcomed White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to Southwest Washington to discuss Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments and infrastructure needs in the region.

They began the day with a visit to the I-5 Bridge, which is structurally deficient and in need of replacement to strengthen commuter safety and interstate trade.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez reaffirmed her commitment to leveraging federal funding for the replacement project and expressed support for funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation Mega Grant Program.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and Mitch Landrieu visit Tidewater Barge Lines.

Afterward, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and Landrieu held a press conference at Tidewater Barge Lines in Vancouver. Tidewater is receiving a $4.1 million grant to purchase a new electric dock crane – an investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and Landrieu discussed how the investment will support the local economy, reduce emissions, and keep solid waste transportation services on the Columbia River moving full steam ahead.

“Being able to move [solid waste] swiftly and efficiently and affordably upriver to an appropriate disposal location is exactly the kind of thing that we celebrate seeing our federal government support us in,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez at the press conference. “I’ve met with 13 of our ports so far, and let me tell you, the folks working our ports are my heroes – they keep the stuff moving that we take for granted every day. And if you are the kind of person who worries about good family-wage jobs, if you are worried about our trade imbalance, if you believe in supporting our agricultural producers, then the people working in our ports are the people who are fighting with us on our team.”

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and Mitch Landrieu hold a roundtable on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments at the Columbia River Economic Development Council.

Lastly, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and Landrieu held a roundtable with labor leaders, business owners, and public officials about local Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments. They also discussed questions regarding federal grant funding opportunities, permitting, and expanding workforce training.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in 2021, has invested in dozens of projects across Southwest Washington, such as repairing roads and bridges, supporting regional airports, and aiding in wildfire defense.

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