The bi-state effort to build a new bridge spanning the Columbia River reached a deal to pay four companies a combined $140 million, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program announced Tuesday.
The agreement is part of the process to compensate businesses that could be affected by a new 116-foot, fixed-span bridge since the bridge height would impact marine vessel traffic traveling on the river.
Finalizing the agreement will allow the transportation agencies of Oregon and Washington to submit a Navigation Impact Report to the U.S. Coast Guard, one of the last remaining pieces needed to settle on a bridge design…