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WATCH: Unfunded and over budget: The $15 billion gamble on I-5 bridge project
Washington Rep. Ed Orcutt says members of the public have not been listened to during the I 5 bridge project process. Orcutt says the results did not reflect…
By Carleen Johnson · 2026-09-22T00:30:19.471Z
The Center Square A mega transportation project that will cost taxpayers in Oregon and Washington billions of dollars is moving ahead toward final approval of the first phase.
The project is progressing even as both states concede they don’t have the funding to complete even the initial phase, with proponents arguing they must proceed no matter what, or risk losing federal funding.
A new span to replace the current Columbia River Bridge https://wsdot.wa.gov/business wsdot/contracting opportunities/columbia river bridge replacement connecting Washington to Oregon has exploded in scope and cost in recent years, as planners have added light rail and design options have repeatedly been altered, and the cost estimates now exceed up to $15 billion.
Representative John Ley of Vancouver is on the bi state legislative committee https://interstatebridge.org/get involved folder/calendar/bi state legislative committee september 17 2026/ for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project and is calling for a major reset as both Oregon and Washington lack the secure funding for the project, and consulting firms are now guaranteed a big payout.
The project faces a $1.4 billion funding gap, but officials say a $5.68 billion first phase is fully funded through the $5.69 billion currently available. That first phase is designed to provide usable I 5 infrastructure, including the ability for people to travel on it, tolling infrastructure and continued progress through the Federal Transit Administration process.
Officials also say the approved federal financial plan identified the $5.68 billion first phase as having independent utility, including the removal of the bridge. The remaining core projects would come in a future phase beyond the currently funded work.
During a Thursday meeting of the bi state committee, Ley asked Interim Project Administrator Carly Francis about the lack of funding to proceed.
“You told us earlier that it was particularly important to our federal partners that we are fully funded. And yet, phase one is not fully funded,” said Ley.
“So that seems to be a disconnect that we are shy $1.4 billion. And yet, we are proceeding. Is it possible to prioritize phase one so that we truly only proceed with that money that we already have?” he asked.
Francis said that "core projects" of phase one are not funded but said what is funded will be a bridge people can drive on.
“So, we have a first funded phase, and that's what we're progressing with at this time,” Francis said.
Washington State Department of Transportation Mega Projects Head John White said it’s critical they move ahead now or risk losing federal funding.
“We did satisfy all of our federal partner requirements, and they approved the financial plan,” said White.
Consulting firm WSP https://www.wsp.com/en us/ is advising Washington and Oregon DOT’s on transportation projects, including the IBR.
According to https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion outrageous 32 wsp profits for ibr consulting/ a November 2025 op ed by Ley, the 44 page WSP contract for the IBR contains an exhibit listing roughly 30 hourly pay rates, with a 138.27 percent indirect cost additive, plus a 32 percent profit.
"All told, WSP hires a low wage employee for $23.32 per hour, then adds $32.24 for overhead; and finally adds $7.46 in profit. Taxpayers are billed $63.02 for work paying $23.32 per hour," he wrote.
"High end hourly rates shown are $224 per hour. The additives are $309.72 for overhead, and another $71.63 in profit for WSP," according to Ley's op ed. "The total taxpayer bill per hour worked – $605.40."
The nearly $15 billion dollar current price tag for the IBR is more than double what it was just four years ago, with a $6 billion estimate released in 2022.
One of the main sticking points for critics of the current design is the insistence that light rail be included across the bridge.
The Center Square reached out to Oregon Rep. Thuy Tran D Portland , a member of the bi state IBR oversight committee for her opinion on where the project now stands.
Tran has in the past been sharply critical of IBR staffers for withholding updated cost estimates from the bi state committee, calling the omission "shocking" and accusing officials of failing to provide full transparency on the record.
“I support a bridge being built...a seismically sound bridge that will last another 100 or 200 years is important to peoples lives here in Oregon and Washington," she said in an interview with The Center Square.
"Right now, our main concern is to get it built in a timely manner and that it will not spend too much of our Oregon and Washington constituent’s taxpayer money."
“Every dollar that we spend on the I 5 bridge replacement project takes away from other projects that Washington and Oregon so desperately need. And not just state roads, but counties and cities, all depend upon the state.”
An official discusses how space on the Interstate Bridge could be used if additional funding for light rail cannot be secured. The official says the use of the lane could fluctuate based on needs but firmly supports transit as part of the Interstate Bridge Replacement project.
Tran is firmly in support of adding light rail to the new bridge despite the additional cost estimated to be between $2 $3.5 billion depending on the scope and phase of construction.
Pressed about the lack of light rail ridership, Tran said they expect demand to pick up.
"The numbers may be skewed a bit at this time because of the pandemic. That messed everybody up,” said Tran.
She suggested that light rail makes sense because in the future, more people will depend upon it, so planners should be thinking with the forward looking mindset.
Washington Democratic Rep. Jake Fey, D Tacoma, chairs the bi state committee and told The Center Square he supports the new bridge design as is.
“We are past the time of talking about what the project is going to be. I've been chair since 2019. I've been working on this bridge with other legislators all that time. We are risking the money that we do have by second guessing a decision that had to be made,” said Fey.
As for insisting light rail be included, Fey said phase one does not assume that and suggested any further delays risk federal funding.
“We're not building the light rail. We're building the bridge so we can accommodate it. We're putting the pedestrian part of it on the same portion of the bridge that the light rail would go,” said Fey.
“If we wait and we lose the federal money….we can't build this without the federal money.”
Portland Economist Joe Cortright has written extensively https://bikeportland.org/2026/03/19/opinion ibr team hasnt right sized the project theyve just hidden full commitment 399650 with criticisms about the project, arguing he’s convinced supporters are going to plow ahead with a plan so they can then say they have no choice but to finish.
“ODOT & WSDOT have intentionally designed this so once you start, you must build everything. The reality is they'll never stop with Phase I; start construction and you're signing up for $15 billion and 20 years of construction hell,” wrote Cortright.
"The way they’ve designed the project, once you start, we’ll have no option to say 'no' later on."
At this point, bridge construction is supposed to start in July of 2028, and tolls would start at the same time.
Those tolls could vary from $1.55 to $4.70 per crossing depending on traffic flow, and time of day, projections show https://www.interstatebridge.org/CostEstimate : :text=Tolling%20for%20the%20IBR%20program%20is%20anticipated,funding%20construction%20and%20facility%20operations%20and%20maintenance. .
This story originally appeared on thecentersquare.com https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article 0175d515 d2dd 44ec ac95 a7bc5213d778.html .