Columbia River bridge gets go-ahead

   The U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday agreed to move forward plans to replace the aging Interstate 5 Columbia River Crossing Bridges and build an interstate transit link.
   The DOT approval represents the final clearance of the project’s environmental review and allows Oregon and Washington to begin right-of-way acquisition and construction.
   The Columbia River Crossing project will replace the I-5 bridges over the Columbia River that connect Vancouver, Wash., to Portland, Ore. At a cost of about $3 billion for bridge, transit and highway improvements, the project is considered a long-term, comprehensive solution to address safety and congestion problems on five miles of I-5 from State Route 500 in Vancouver to Victory Boulevard in Portland and will be funded through a combination of state and federal sources.
   “This is a vital transportation improvement on one of the busiest interstates in the country,” Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said in a statement. “The new bridge will put people to work and help support business and economic growth.”
   Freight congestion is one of the main reasons behind the bridge replacement project. According to DOT, I-5 is the most important freight freeway on the West Coast linking international, national and regional markets in Canada, Mexico and the Pacific Rim with destinations throughout the western United States.
   “Freight volumes moved by truck to and from the area are projected to increase over the years, causing additional delays and cost to shippers. Currently, the bridge serves nearly 130,000 vehicles daily with travel demand expected to grow to 180,000 vehicles daily by 2030,” DOT said.
   The current I-5 crossing of the Columbia River consists of two side-by-side bridges. The bridge carrying northbound traffic was built in 1916, and the bridge carrying southbound traffic was built in 1958.
   “Both bridges are inadequate to carry the current traffic volumes, and the mechanical lift spans that are raised to accommodate river traffic bring interstate traffic to a standstill,” DOT said. “The geometry of the bridges makes the existing crossing one of the most unsafe highway locations on the I-5 corridor – its crash rate is double that of similar bridges. In addition, the bridge does not meet the current bridge design standards for earthquakes.” – Chris Gillis