https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/feb/07/local-view-i-5-bridge-project-urgent-vital/
By Reps. Monica Stonier and Sharon Wylie of the 49th Legislative District; Rep. Jake Fey of the 27th District; and Sens. Paul Harris (17th District), Annette Cleveland (49th District) and Marko Liias (21st District)
Published: February 7, 2026, 6:01am
The world in 1917 would be unrecognizable to most of us. The U.S. entered the first World War. Two-thirds of homes did not have a phone. Many did not have a car. Charlie Chaplin was on (silent) movie screens and stamps were 3 cents. Albert Einstein was 38.
Most things in our world have changed since then, but one thing hasn’t — the northbound span of the Interstate 5 Bridge.
You may have heard that the bridge is constructed on wood pilings in mud. And we live in a region where the question is when, not if, a major earthquake will strike. These statements aren’t intended to be alarmist, rather they are statements of fact.
As legislators and policy leaders, it is our job to do what we can to prevent that. We committed $1 billion toward the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, and our Oregon colleagues have done the same. The program has received billions of dollars in federal grants, a recognition of how critical the bridge is to our two airports, two states, two ports and two thriving cities and states. It accommodates traffic, workers and commerce that didn’t exist when the current bridge was built. We cannot afford to lose that connection.
This project also offers opportunities. In 1917, they built a structure to support the changes in travel they believed were coming — namely, widespread use of the automobile and how it would transform both personal travel and how we move goods.
In the year 2126, how will we travel? What is the future we are building for? We know that the generations coming behind us are not as interested in owning cars. They embrace transit. Goods movement is changing. People’s work habits have transformed in just six years; what will they be decades from now? All these components have been considered — with the local community who will use the bridge — in developing the current plan.
As legislators, we have learned a lot about the process of building large transportation projects. We know that multiple partners mean multiple rules, processes and decisions. We know that good public involvement takes time. We learned that costs are increasing, and that delay means they go up even more. We learned that we must begin before every question is answered and that the answers we find will never satisfy everyone. We have listened to experts, asked questions and it is time to move forward building this bridge.
It will never be cheaper or easier. We won’t stop asking questions or holding those building the program accountable. We vote to build for future generations as past generations invested in us.
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This column was signed by state Reps. Monica Stonier and Sharon Wylie of the 49th Legislative District; Rep. Jake Fey of the 27th District; and Sens. Paul Harris (17th District), Annette Cleveland (49th District) and Marko Liias (21st District).