I-5 Columbia River Crossing (OR/WA)

[The Ghostbuster]

So, they are no closer to constructing the new bridge than they were before?

[brad2971]

Sigh.

And if they don't build it, it'll get cheaper, right?  that's what happens to projects that are delayed?

Or the Big One will come and cause some deaths and damages and a lot of inconvenience...

Or they have a perfectly reasonable expectation that the USDOT will come in and fully fund the replacement should some sort of event happen that will cause the bridge to be impaired.

[Bruce]

At this rate, just build the new bridge with the same number of lanes and same connections on both ends. Add light rail and an improved pedestrian/cycling path, and nothing more.

We don't need a complete rebuild of the Vancouver section if it's going to add a significant portion of the cost.

[stevashe]

At this rate, just build the new bridge with the same number of lanes and same connections on both ends. Add light rail and an improved pedestrian/cycling path, and nothing more.

We don't need a complete rebuild of the Vancouver section if it's going to add a significant portion of the cost.

Second on this. Don't know why they need to include so many other improvements if they aren't needed due to the greater height or realignment of the new bridge...

[pderocco]

At this rate, just build the new bridge with the same number of lanes and same connections on both ends. Add light rail and an improved pedestrian/cycling path, and nothing more.

We don't need a complete rebuild of the Vancouver section if it's going to add a significant portion of the cost.

Second on this. Don't know why they need to include so many other improvements if they aren't needed due to the greater height or realignment of the new bridge...

To future-proof it. If you don't do so, the need to upgrade again will come a lot sooner.

[Sub-Urbanite]

At this rate, just build the new bridge with the same number of lanes and same connections on both ends. Add light rail and an improved pedestrian/cycling path, and nothing more.

We don't need a complete rebuild of the Vancouver section if it's going to add a significant portion of the cost.

Unfortunately that doesn't work:

- The grade on the Washington side has to be re-done to accommodate the new bridge's increased height (116 feet vs. 39 feet at the current drawbridge)

- The exit angle for the SR 14 ramp has to be changed, because as anyone who's driven the Interstate Bridge northbound knows, that tight turn causes backups and crashes.

- On the less "have to do it" than "makes sense to do it now," seeing the SR 500 interchange as part of the system will improve traffic flow on the Vancouver side.

Nobody's happy, of course. But we'll all be even less happy if we wait another decade to try again.

[Sub-Urbanite]

A bunch of dignitaries announced this week that work would start... in 2028? Maybe? But on a downsized project.

The downsizing is interesting, because at $15 billion the full project is just too much for either state to fully comprehend. So they're aiming for a $5-6b "just the basics" project that builds a new bridge from the Oregon mainland bank of the Columbia to just past the SR 14 interchange in Vancouver.

That's it.

A second phase could extend light rail to the Vancouver Waterfront for another $1b. Further down the line, rebuilding the interchanges on the Oregon and Washington sides and building the Hayden Island specific bridge would need future funding.

The Hayden Island people will be annoyed that there's no island-specific bridge.

The Port people and truckers will be annoyed that there isn't a new Marine Drive interchange.

The Light Rail people will be annoyed that the Yellow Line doesn't go all the way to Clark College. The anti-light rail people will be annoyed if it's funded at all.

The Vancouver redevelopment people will be annoyed about potentially losing their $30m grant to put a lid on I-5 through downtown.

They all gotta swallow and hope that this process keeps moving forward without the various things that built a coalition. Now that they've started pulling the thread, we'll see how much of the fabric remains in place.

[Plutonic Panda]

Wow. All of this excitement for that. That sucks. This shouldn't be acceptable. Like we can't build shit like this anymore?

[Bruce]

Wow. All of this excitement for that. That sucks. This shouldn't be acceptable. Like we can't build shit like this anymore?

If WSDOT and ODOT hadn't decided to build massive new interchanges and incite the ire of so many people, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Construction inflation is hitting every project across the country very hard, so higher costs are just to be expected. It's smarter to remove unnecessary elements or defer them indefinitely until they are proven to be needed.

[Plutonic Panda]

Wow. All of this excitement for that. That sucks. This shouldn't be acceptable. Like we can't build shit like this anymore?

If WSDOT and ODOT hadn't decided to build massive new interchanges and incite the ire of so many people, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Construction inflation is hitting every project across the country very hard, so higher costs are just to be expected. It's smarter to remove unnecessary elements or defer them indefinitely until they are proven to be needed.

This has nothing to do with people rising up a storm. A lot of people want to see the entire project happen. People gave compromises we've seen this project from inception. This is just due to extreme cost. Don't kid yourself you know this very well. The entirety of this proposed project is needed. They've already scaled it back in the terms of the amount of travel lanes and now they're reducing the entire scope of the project, not even including the rail. If anything, this new plan is like likely to piss off more people because you're just fucking over everybody now.

[Scott5114]

Construction inflation is hitting every project across the country very hard, so higher costs are just to be expected. It's smarter to remove unnecessary elements or defer them indefinitely until they are proven to be needed.

The problem with deferring projects due to inflation is that by the time they're actually needed, they will be much more expensive (due to inflation) than if they had been built ahead of time.