The I-5 Willamette River Bridge: a sound investment

From ODOT-

The budget to replace the Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge is $204 million. That makes it the largest bridge replacement project in ODOT’s history. Roughly $157 million is for construction and the remainder covers environmental assessments, traffic studies and engineering services. The new bridges, which are designed to last 100 years, provide a great return on the publics’ investment.



Most of the funds for the new bridges come from the third installment of the Oregon Transportation Investment Act, adopted by the Legislature in 2003. The OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program dedicated $1.3 billion to repair or replace hundreds of aging state highway bridges in Oregon, including the Willamette River Bridge.



Another critical part of the overall funding package is $30.2 million of federal transportation funds obtained through the efforts of U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio for the project. Federal funds provide for construction, including a portion dedicated to design enhancements for the new bridges.



Besides improving our transportation infrastructure, highway and bridge construction supports local jobs. Did you know that every $1 million invested in transportation construction sustains about 11 family-wage jobs? There are more than 50 contractors and subcontractors working on the Willamette River Bridge project from Oregon and southwest Washington. The majority of the subcontractors are from Lane County and the surrounding area.