The 60-day public comment period for key design alternatives for the Interstate 5 Bridge Replacement has officially concluded.
In its December newsletter, the Interstate-5 Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) announced more than 3,400 comments were submitted via mail, physical mail, phone and through its website.
The draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) has now officially closed, drawing over 3,400 submissions from community members, stakeholders and organizations. This process, held from Sept. 20 to No. 18, 2024, gathered public input on potential impacts and design alternatives for the new Interstate 5 bridge project.
The IBR Program will incorporate public feedback into the final technical analysis. A final SEIS is anticipated to be published in mid- to late-2025, followed by a federal record of decision from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration in 2025. Construction could begin as early as late 2025 or early 2026.
Key design alternatives in the draft SEIS
The draft SEIS outlines several key design alternatives to reduce congestion, enhance safety and address long-standing issues such as seismic vulnerability. Submitted comments will be taken into consideration regarding the following options:
Ramp options at C Street, Vancouver: Two options are being considered — one ramp, both ramps or no ramps connecting the bridge to C Street. These changes could impact traffic flow and access.
Ride-and-share stations: Five potential locations have been identified, three near the waterfront and two south of the Mill Plain interchange, to encourage carpooling and reduce single-occupancy vehicle use.
Realignment of I-5 in downtown Vancouver: Options include shifting the highway to the center or west to improve traffic flow in downtown Vancouver.
Bridge span alternatives: Three main options are under consideration to accommodate marine traffic — a double-deck fixed-span bridge with pedestrian and light rail below, a single-level fixed-span bridge or a single-level moveable span that could create some traffic delays when boats pass through.
Auxiliary lanes and lane widths: The project proposes one or two auxiliary lanes to ease merging and improve traffic safety. Lane widths would be widened from 10.5 feet to 12 feet, which will reduce congestion caused by narrow lanes and closely spaced interchanges.
Traffic and safety projections
Previous studies have shown significant traffic safety and congestion issues on the current bridge. Between 2015 and 2019, 1,780 crashes took place in the study area, resulting in seven fatalities and 17 serious injuries. If no new bridge is built, IBR predicts crashes could increase by 28% by 2045. However, design alternatives in the draft SEIS aim to reduce these crash rates by 13% to 17% with the introduction of one or two auxiliary lanes, respectively.
IBR also conducted studies and traffic analysis, included in the draft SEIS. The current bridge experiences up to 14 hours of northbound traffic and 16 hours of southbound congestion on a typical weekday. With a new bridge, these numbers are expected to reduce to nine hours northbound and 4.75 hours southbound, respectively. Adding two auxiliary lanes could further decrease congestion to six hours northbound and 4.5 hours southbound.
Traffic volume on the bridge is also projected to increase from 143,000 weekday trips in 2019 to 180,000 by 2045 without the new bridge. With the new bridge, traffic is expected to decrease slightly to 175,000 weekday trips, due in part to increased public transportation options through the inclusion of light rail.
For more information, visit interstatebridge.org.
