Rising costs, Oregon sloth demand a shrewd study of new I-5 bridge

A proposed bridge across the Columbia River between Vancouver and Portland just got a lot more expensive. Washington needs that bridge, but elected officials need to do their due diligence and carefully check the work of planners to ensure taxpayers are not footing the bill for a boondoggle with ever-escalating costs.

The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s projected cost rose to between $5 billion and $7.5 billion, according to a new estimate by the effort led by the Washington and Oregon departments or transportation. That’s an astonishing range of uncertainty and an astonishing increase from just two years ago when the estimated cost was $3.2 billion to $4.8 billion. Take the midpoints of the ranges, and the price tag went up more than 50%.

Project planners peg the cost increases on “historically high inflation rates, workforce shortage, material cost increases due to supply chain issues and other market conditions.” Inflation has hit everyone’s pocketbooks, and labor-intensive government projects tend to get hit harder.

But there’s more to it. Planners also have added to the project in the past two years, including replacing another bridge in North Portland, a ramp to Oregon’s Hayden Island, and elevated light rail in Vancouver with an elevated rail station. The mission is creeping, and the cost with it. The price tag could go up even more if the Coast Guard insists on a higher bridge than the current design calls for to accommodate large ships.

This project is important beyond Vancouver and Portland. Interstate 5, which crosses the bridge, is a critical regional transportation artery for goods and people. Parts of the bridge are more than a century old and showing their age. It also would not hold up to a strong earthquake. If the bridge fails, it would cut off a vital route for relief in the event of a catastrophe in the Pacific Northwest.

So far, Washington has agreed to pay $1 billion of the cost of the new bridge. Oregon’s lawmakers have not yet made the same commitment. The Interstate Bridge connects two states, and it is the responsibility of both to ensure it meets modern needs.

Planners say they don’t intend to hit up the states for more money. They’ll find other sources of revenue, like the federal government, to pay for a lot of it. That is uncertain, however. This certainly wouldn’t be the first large public project to be rife with cost overruns. Seattle residents need look no further than the escalating cost of extending Sound Transit light rail to both Ballard and West Seattle.

Some of the money will come from bridge tolls. A user fee isreasonable, but it won’t be the only new toll. Oregon plans to toll drivers on Interstates 5 and 205 in the Portland metro area in coming years. That means Washingtonians will pay twice when crossing over to Portland.

The current Interstate Bridge is woefully inadequate. But whether the proposed replacement with all of its bells and whistles is the right plan is worth lawmakers carefully considering in light of rapidly escalating costs. Washington lawmakers should ensure that Oregon pay its fair share and that Washington isn’t opening a spigot of money it won’t be able to close once construction is underway.