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Interstate Bridge Replacement: ODOT says record‑of‑decision, Coast Guard review and financial plan will determine next steps
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Summary
ODOT officials told lawmakers the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s 2022 estimate was $5–7.5 billion; allocated funds approach $5.3 billion, a Federal Highway Administration grant amendment and a U.S. Coast Guard navigation determination are gating steps, and updated risk‑based cost estimates and an investment‑grade toll study remain in progress.
Ray Mabey, assistant program administrator for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR), told the committee that the program’s previously published 2022 cost estimate ranged from $5 billion to $7.5 billion and that ODOT has about $5.3 billion in allocated funding so far.
"Our current cost estimate is, between 5 and 7 and a half billion dollars," Mabey said. He described the program’s goals — congestion relief, seismic resiliency, safer freight movement, transit and multi‑use paths — and reiterated that the project is in an environmental phase that requires a Federal Record of Decision (ROD) before obligated federal grant funds can be amended and released.
Mabee (sic) told the committee ODOT submitted a Navigation Impact Report to the U.S. Coast Guard; the Coast Guard’s review is expected to take about 90 days (initial review, public comment, assessment) and will produce a preliminary navigation clearance determination that informs whether a fixed‑span clearance or a movable span is permittable. That determination will be a major input to the ROD and to a federal grant amendment needed to secure a portion of the Bridge Investment Program (BIP) funds. Mabey said roughly $927 million of BIP funding is time‑sensitive for obligation under the current grant terms.
Mabey described negotiations with river users to address impacts from a fixed‑span alternative; ODOT said negotiated agreements total about $140 million and are included in current planning estimates. He also discussed lifecycle operating differences: existing movable spans require continuous staffing and can cost about $1–2 million per year to operate, while fixed spans carry different one‑time compensation or mitigation costs.
ODOT is updating its cost estimate using a rigorous, risk‑based process that starts with base costs and applies probability‑weighted risks, project‑specific inflation and tariff scenarios. Mabey said the agency expects to share updated cost estimates and a program financial plan with bi‑state legislative partners and federal agencies in the near term and asked the committee for patience as the work proceeds through federal review steps and the investment‑grade (level‑3) toll and revenue analysis.
The committee asked for a clear schedule for the Coast Guard determination, the final supplemental EIS and the updated investment‑grade financial analysis; ODOT said the Coast Guard timeline is approximately 90 days and that the investment‑grade analysis is expected early next year.
