Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made the news with a promise that a seismic replacement of the Interstate 5 bridge is more than just a pipe dream. Buttigieg visited the landmark that connects Portland, Oregon, with Vancouver, Washington, emphasizing the project's importance not just for the local area but for interstate commerce at large. "Because the funding is in place, it’s going to happen," Buttigieg confidently told OPB during his trip.
Currently, the bridge is a critical artery for over 130,000 vehicles a day and sits on shaky ground, with seismologists warning of a potentially catastrophic earthquake. "We don’t know whether ‘the big one’ is tomorrow, 100 years away, or many hundreds of years away, but we know that we should be getting this bridge into a more resilient state," Buttigieg said, as reported by AP News. The funding faucet has begun to flow, with the US Department of Transportation already ponying up a $600 million grant, assuring locals and travelers alike that they are not planning to just stand idly by.
The current plan to replace the aging I-5 bridge, which will turn 107 next week, comes with a hefty price tag. Oregon and Washington are jointly working to secure a staggering $6 billion in funds, a sum that, according to OregonLive, could soar due to rising construction costs. "Right now, it’s too large and too complex for traditional funding to work," Buttigieg acknowledged during his visit. Both states have already allocated a combined $2 billion towards the effort, showcasing a serious commitment to the infrastructure overhaul.
The hopes for bridging funding gaps indeed seem to ride high, especially with another $1.5 billion grant application already in the pipeline, awaiting federal appraisal. "But, yeah, this project has been big on our radar, really from day one," Buttigieg candidly mentioned in his statement obtained by OPB.
In the meantime, Buttigieg’s visit sends a powerful message, correlating with job creation and the involvement of local communities. Speaking at a local school, he underscored the role of the next generation in bringing such infrastructure projects to fruition. "In order for that to succeed, so much depends on these young people—and everybody across the trades," he lauded to a crowd of construction-focused students, as described by OPB. With Buttigieg's latest endorsement, the path seems clear to bridge the gap between a vulnerable past and a more resilient future for the I-5 corridor.
