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Interstate Bridge replacement: committee hears bond‑authorization bill and competing views on tolling, cost and light rail
Summary
Senate Bill 5734 would authorize up to $1.6 billion in bond authority for Washington’s share of the Interstate Bridge Replacement project; proponents stressed seismic risk, freight impacts and job creation while opponents questioned cost estimates, light rail inclusion and tolling assumptions.
Senate Bill 5734, an agency‑request bill authorizing up to $1.6 billion in bond authority for the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project, received testimony and spirited public comment on Feb. 25.
Haley Gamble, committee staff, described the bill as an authorization for the state to issue bonds (subject to the State Finance Committee and later legislative appropriation of net bond proceeds) to fund the design, right of way and construction of the I‑5 bridge replacement. The staff report emphasized that the bill authorizes bonding authority rather than immediate bond issuance and that toll revenues are assumed in finance plans to pay debt service; tolling…
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