When the I-5 bridge between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, first opened, 350,000 people lived in the region with fewer than 20,000 cars and trucks. Now, there are 2 million people and 2 million cars and trucks.

I-5 is the only continuous north/south interstate highway on the West Coast, providing a critical commerce link for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In the Vancouver/Portland metropolitan region, I-5 is one of two major highways that connect the two states and the regional economy.

While there is a second major river crossing 6 miles upstream to the east of the I-5 bridge (the I-205 Glenn Jackson Bridge), this too is reaching its peak-hour period carrying capacity, leaving no other crossing options in the metropolitan area.

Simply stated, there isn't enough room on the I-5 bridge to keep up with demand, and demand will continue to grow. We must find a way to creatively address the problem. If we don't, traffic congestion for residents, commuters, businesses, freight, and tourists will only get worse.

What Are the Problems?
Who Uses the Bridge?
Project Background
Accomplishments To Date
History of the Bridge

What Are the Problems?

In looking for solutions, it is critical to clearly understand the project area and its problems, including the Bridge Influence Area, which is the 5-mile segment of I-5 from State Route (SR) 500 in Vancouver to approximately Columbia Boulevard in Portland.

1. Travel demand exceeds capacity in the Bridge Influence Area, causing heavy congestion and delay during peak travel periods for automobile, transit, and freight traffic. This limits mobility within the region and impedes access to major activity centers.
   
   
2. Transit service between Vancouver and Portland is constrained by the limited capacity in the I-5 corridor and is subject to the same congestion as other vehicles, affecting transit reliability and operations.
   
   
3. The access of truck-hauled freight to nationally and regionally significant industrial and commercial districts, as well as connections to marine, rail, and air freight facilities, is impaired by congestion in the Bridge Influence Area.
   
   
4. The bridge crossing area and its approach sections experience crash rates more than two times higher than statewide averages for comparable urban highways in Washington and Oregon, largely due to outdated design.  Incident evaluations attribute crashes to congestion, closely spaced interchanges, short weave and merge sections, vertical grade changes in the bridge span, and narrow shoulders.
   
   In addition, the configuration of the existing I-5 bridges relative to the downstream Burlington Northern-Santa Fe rail bridge contributes to hazardous navigation conditions for commercial and recreational boat traffic.
   
   
5. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities for crossing the Columbia River in the Bridge Influence Area are not designed to promote non-motorized access and connectivity across the river.
   
   In addition, "low speed vehicles" are not allowed to use the I-5 bridge to cross the river.
   
   
6. The I-5 bridge across the Columbia River does not meet current seismic standards, leaving them vulnerable to failure in an earthquake.
   
   
7. The current configuration of I-5 within the Bridge Influence Area limits east-west connectivity across the highway for all users.
   
   
8. As the Vancouver/Portland metropolitan region grows, mobility and accessibility for automobile, freight, and transit will decline unless the disparity between demand and capacity in the Bridge Influence Area is addressed. The increasing disparity between demand and capacity will lead to longer delays, increased accident potential, and diminished quality of life and economic opportunity.
   

To read the details of each problem, please click here or on the sections above.

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Who Uses the Bridge?

Typical Travelers
The I-5 bridge carries more than 125,000 automobiles, buses, and freight vehicles on an average weekday. The Bridge Influence Area serves several broad travel markets, as explained below:

Through Travel: These users travel from outside the Vancouver/Portland region to destinations that are also outside the region-for example, a freight or tourist trip from Seattle, Washington, to Eugene, Oregon.  These users represent about 7 percent of the total vehicle-trips crossing the river during the peak periods.

Regional Travel: Most of these users travel between Clark County and the Portland metropolitan area (Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties), or vice versa, without stopping in the Bridge Influence Area.  These trips account for about 47 percent of the total vehicle-trips crossing the river during the peak periods. 

Seven percent of the total trips crossing the river originate within the region and are destined outside of the region, or originate outside of the region and are destined within the region-for example, a trip from Salem, Oregon, to Clark County.

Local Travel: Most of these users travel between the Bridge Influence Area and other locations within the Vancouver/Portland metropolitan area, or vice versa.  For example, a trip from a southeast Portland neighborhood to downtown Vancouver is considered a local trip.  These trips account for about 32 percent of the vehicle-trips crossing the I-5 bridge during the peak periods.

Two percent of the total trips crossing the river originate within the region and are destined to a location within the Bridge Influence Area, or originate within this area and are destined outside of the region-for example, a trip from Longview, Washington, to Portland Meadows.

Internal Travel: These users stay entirely within the Bridge Influence Area -for example, from downtown Vancouver to Hayden Island.  This constitutes about 5 percent of the trips crossing the I-5 bridge during the peak periods.

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Project Background

The Foundation:
I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership

In 1998, the Washington and Oregon Departments of Transportation formed a bi-state partnership to study transportation problems and possible solutions for the I-5 corridor from the Portland metropolitan area through southern Clark County. While this study included the Columbia River Crossing project area, it also encompassed a much broader stretch of the I-5 corridor.

The I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership Task Force, a 28-member bi-state committee, began its study in January 2000. The Task Force, which included elected, business, neighborhood, and community representatives, spent January through June of 2001 working with the public and one another to determine what improvements should be studied. They reviewed the evaluation results in the Fall of 2001, and made draft recommendations in January 2002.

The study resulted in a variety of corridor-wide improvement and traffic management recommendations. The studies showed that the highest congestion and the most unmet demand occur where I-5 crosses the Columbia River. Study findings also included a range of improvement and traffic management recommendations. One key recommendation called for adding more travel space, or capacity, over the Columbia River with a replacement bridge or modification of the existing I-5 bridge to ease bottlenecks on local travel and interstate commerce. Other recommendations included considering high-capacity transit improvements and a range of financing options. They also stressed the importance of involving the public, including low-income and minority populations, in project planning.

These recommendations were subsequently handed over to the Columbia River Crossing project for more review and implementation. The studies can be viewed under the project documents page. The I-5 Partnership newsletters can be viewed as well.

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ODOT's Delta Park to Lombard Development Project

The I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership recommendations resulted in the development of the Delta Park project. By locating several choke points along the I-5 corridor and improving those areas, the larger goal of interstate improvement is being achieved. The problem in the Delta Park project area is a southbound, 2-lane section between Delta Park at Victory Boulevard and the Lombard Interchange. This 2-lane section is located between 3-lane sections and creates a bottleneck for southbound traffic, which causes congestion on the highway.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), is proposing to:

• Widen the highway to a 3-lane section southbound from Delta Park, at Victory Boulevard, to the Lombard Interchange.
• Widen the Columbia Slough Bridge median and shoulder widths.
• Provide better access between the I-5 corridor and Columbia Boulevard.
• Reconstruct sound walls impacted by the project.

This project is in progress and will continue simultaneously with the Columbia River Crossing project. To learn more about the current activities of the Delta Park to Lombard project, please visit ODOT's Web site.

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The Next Step:
Columbia River Crossing Project

The Columbia River Crossing project is the next logical step in resolving congestion problems in the I-5 corridor. Study and recommendations will focus on the Bridge Influence Area, a the 5-mile segment of I-5 from State Route (SR) 500 in Vancouver to Columbia Boulevard in Portland. The project involves environmental impact studies of the Bridge Influence Area, public involvement, and multiple review processes, which will result in the selection of a preferred alternative for addressing the problems. Read more about How this Project Works. The Columbia River Crossing Project Team will direct the development and completion of the project.

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Accomplishments To Date

A substantial amount of groundwork for the Columbia River Crossing project was completed over the last 7 years. The list below highlights key milestones and work products.

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History of the Bridge

Shift from Ferry to Bridge Travel: The 1917 Bridge

On June 1, 1905, the first world's fair to be held in the Pacific Northwest-the Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair-opened in Portland, Oregon. Exposition organizers' goal was to promote Portland as the commercial hub of the Pacific Northwest and the centennial of Lewis and Clark's nation-building journey across the continent in 1805 provided the perfect theme.

Even though the fair was a promotional boon to the Vancouver/Portland area, it caused a massive traffic jam at the Columbia River steam ferry, which was one of the few passageways from Vancouver, Washington, to Portland. This sparked widespread demand for a bridge between the two states. In 1914, with a great deal of bi-state local support, the Washington and Oregon state legislatures approved the sale of bonds to fund such a bridge and construction began in 1915. The new bridge opened on February 14, 1917, amid much fanfare.

Back in 1917, it cost travelers a 5 cent toll to cross the Interstate Bridge. There were only two lanes for traffic - one in each direction - and a streetcar shared the roadway with cars. Previously, the only way to cross the river between Vancouver and Portland was by ferry. Because the bridge was heavily used, the original $1,683,000 bond was paid off within 12 years! Originally built and owned by Clark and Multnomah Counties, the bridge was taken over by the two states in 1929, tolls were removed, and the remaining bond debt paid off with tax dollars.

For more information about the Lewis and Clark Exposition, visit the Oregon Historical Society's Web site.

The Era of the Automobile: The 1958 Bridge

The end of the Vancouver and Portland streetcar service in the 1940s and increased travel on the bridge prompted Washington and Oregon to look into increasing the capacity of the bridge. Traffic rates had skyrocketed and it was time to look for solutions. In 1936, for example, daily traffic volumes on the bridge were only 13,100; by 1950 that number had jumped to 30,747. A dramatic increase in marine traffic also required more bridge lifts, which made traffic problem even worse.

Between 1944 and 1951, Washington and Oregon joined together to study the options for constructing a second bridge. Alternate sites for a second bridge were investigated, but it was eventually determined that building a new bridge immediately adjacent to the existing bridge was the most feasible solution. The cost of the entire project-including design, engineering, right-of-way acquisition, building the nearby Oregon Slough Bridge, remodeling the 1917 bridge, and installing new lighting, landscaping, and toll plaza equipment-totaled $14.5 million.

In 1953, the Washington and Oregon state legislatures authorized the sale of bonds to design and build a second bridge. Construction was completed in 1958 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony occurred on July 1, 1958. Tollbooths were installed in 1960 after remodeling work on the 1917 span had been completed. To pay off the construction bond, tolls of 20 cents for cars, 40 cents for light trucks, and 60 cents for heavy trucks and buses were collected until 1966.

To serve the growing traffic on the new I-5 highway, a second parallel drawbridge opened in 1958 and, after an additional 2-year refurbishment of the old bridge, tolls were reinstated in 1960 to pay off the new bonds. The refurbishment included raising the center span to reduce the frequency of lift-span openings. The bridge debt was retired in 1967 and the tolls were removed.

For more information about the bridges, view the links page and choose from the "More information" options at the bottom of the page.

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