I-5 Bridge Replacement Clears Final Federal Hurdle — Construction Procurement Begins
After decades of stalled starts, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program has the green light it’s been waiting for.
Federal transportation agencies signed off on an Amended Record of Decision on July 1, completing the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) Program’s environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The approval closes out a process that began with the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, published April 17, and it clears the way for Washington and Oregon to move into procurement and permitting on the new Columbia River crossing.
For a project that traces its roots back to conversations between Senator Patty Murray and former Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield in 1992 — and that collapsed once already as the Columbia River Crossing project in 2013 — this is the milestone that finally puts steel-in-the-ground timelines on the table.
What’s Next
With environmental review complete, program officials say the next steps are:
- Securing remaining permits
- Obligating remaining grant funding
- Advancing the first funded construction phase, backed by $5.7 billion in combined local, state, and federal funding
On the procurement side, the program plans to issue a Request for Qualifications in the coming weeks, followed by a Request for Proposals later this year. A contractor is expected to be hired in 2027.
What’s Actually Getting Built
The first funded phase isn’t the whole five-mile corridor vision — it’s a scoped package designed to stand on its own and deliver benefits independent of future phases. That phase includes:
- A new, more seismically resilient bridge with a shared-use path and space for future light rail
- Rebuilt I-5 connections on both sides of the river
- Reconfigured connections between Hayden Island, SR 14, and I-5
- Transit design work to meet federal grant requirements
- Tolling infrastructure, with collection expected to begin in 2028
- Removal of the existing bridge — spans dating back to 1917 and 1958
How We Got Here
This approval is the product of a string of milestones over the past year:
- January 2026: The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed it would allow a fixed-span design at 116 feet of vertical clearance over the Columbia River, eliminating the need for a movable span. That decision alone is expected to save hundreds of millions of dollars and do away with the bridge lifts that currently occur up to 480 times a year, backing up traffic on an already congested corridor.
- April 2026: The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was published, resolving the public comment record and setting up the federal decision.
- May 2026: The Oregon Transportation Commission approved a major funding amendment, increasing the project’s programmed funding from roughly $2.06 billion to nearly $5.68 billion — locking in state and federal dollars ahead of a September 2026 federal funding deadline.
- July 1, 2026: The Amended Record of Decision was issued, officially clearing the path to construction.
Why It Matters for the Regional Construction Industry
This is the moment contractors and subs on both sides of the river have been waiting to plan around. The RFQ/RFP timeline gives the region a real window to watch:
- Coming weeks: RFQ issued — this is when firms should start positioning and reviewing qualification requirements
- Later this year: RFP issued
- 2027: Contractor selected
- Construction: Expected to run through at least 2032
With a scope this large — new bridge structures, interchange rebuilds at Hayden Island and SR 14, transit infrastructure, and full demolition of the existing 108-year-old spans — expect significant subcontracting opportunity to ripple out well beyond whichever firm lands the prime contract.
NW Construction News will continue tracking the IBR Program’s procurement timeline as RFQ and RFP details are released.
