Boston has its “Big Dig,” New York has its Second Avenue Subway, and the states of Washington and Oregon are getting set to play in the same league. Replacing the aging Interstate Bridge between Portland and Vancouver will be the biggest construction project our two states have ever undertaken. We’ve been working on this megaproject for 22 years, and we are closer to breaking ground than ever before.
Yet this latest effort is threatened by the same issue that killed the last big push 13 years ago. Decision-makers continue to see the new bridge as a means to get Portland light rail across the Columbia to Vancouver. They still haven’t figured out how we’ll pay for it.
Our message is simple. We need a safe bridge, and we need a bridge we can afford. We need a bridge that adds vehicle capacity and reduces traffic congestion. The oldest parts of the existing bridge date from 1917, it’s jammed with traffic morning and evening, and it’s at risk to fail in the next big earthquake. But we also need to get our priorities straight…