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Bi-state staff: final SEIS and record of decision targeted for early 2026; updated cost estimate due before December meeting
Summary
Program staff told the joint Oregon-Washington committee that the Interstate 5 Bridge replacement remains in the supplemental environmental impact statement process, that a NOAA Fisheries biological opinion supports ESA compliance, and that a new cost estimate and finance plan will be delivered to the committee before the December session.
Greg Johnson, program administrator for the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) program, told the joint OregonWashington legislative committee on Sept. 15 that the project remains in the supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) process and that staff are targeting an early-2026 record of decision from federal partners that would clear the way for construction.
Johnson said the program has received a biological opinion from NOAA Fisheries finding that the program complies with the Endangered Species Act, and staff plan to submit a navigational impact report to the U.S. Coast Guard that will inform whether the crossing will be a fixed 116-foot span or a movable span. "We are hoping to move out of that process in early 2026," Johnson said.
Why it matters: a federal record of decision is a prerequisite for most construction spending on the project and for using some major federal grants. Johnson told the committee the program cannot "skip steps" and that certain federal reviews required revisits that pushed the schedule out; he said some grants must be obligated in 2026 or risk expiration.
Staff also told the committee they will provide an updated cost estimate and finance plan to inform legislative budget decisions. Frank Green, assistant program administrator, said the program is updating its estimate now that design has advanced to roughly 30 percent for key elements and that the team will run a risk-based cost-estimating and cost-estimate validation (CEV/CV) process that accounts for more than 100 project-specific risks and recent construction-inflation trends.
Funding and grants: the program reported $200 million in early-state contributions, $1 billion each from Washington (Move Ahead Washington) and Oregon in prior legislative actions, $2.1 billion in federal grants (including a $600 million mega grant and a $1.5 billion bridge investment grant), a $30 million Reconnecting Communities award to the City of Vancouver, and a finance plan that currently models toll revenues in a $1.1to1.6 billion range with a likely toll contribution near $1.2 billion. Washington's legislature authorized bonding up to $2.5 billion against toll revenue in 2025; staff cautioned that authorization alone is not the same as an assumed toll revenue figure.
Schedule and procurement: if the SEIS and record of decision are secured as planned, staff said some preparatory construction could begin in late 2026 and major procurements for the Columbia River bridge would start after the ROD. Casey Liles, program delivery manager, said the team has identified 28 procurement packages and has started ground-improvement testing on Hayden Island with a $1 million BIP planning grant and existing IVR funds.
Dissent and caution: outside witnesses and committee members raised concerns about cost escalation and timeline slippage during the public comment period. Joe Courtright of City Observatory told the committee the program is "2and a half years behind schedule" relative to earlier public statements and warned that recent regional projects have seen 30—5% cost inflation; staff agreed cost pressures are nationalized and are being modeled in the risk process.
Next step: staff committed to deliver the updated cost estimate and finance plan to the committee before the December meeting and to return with more detailed procurement and schedule information thereafter.
