Building work for the new I-5 bridge replacement project between Oregon and Washington State now looks set to commence in early 2026. Much of the funding for the project has now been secured. Washington State and Oregon State will both contribute jointly to the project, providing $1 billion each. Federal funding of up to $2.1 billion will also be provided for the new bridge. The project is expected to cost from $5-7.5 billion to complete. Official approval has been given for the project, but some clearances still have to be achieved.
The project is being managed jointly by the Washington State Department of Transportation and Oregon Department of Transportation. The existing twin bridges connect Portland in Oregon with Vancouver in Washington State.
The work is needed as the existing twin bridge connection is no longer able to cope with traffic demand. Nor does it meet the latest safety requirements.
One of the steel truss bridges in use at present dates back over 100 years, having been opened to traffic in 1917. The parallel bridge was opened to traffic in 1958. The existing bridges carry three lanes of traffic in either direction, handling around 130,000 vehicles/day.
