Lack of Interstate 5 Bridge solution holding Vancouver back from potential
The Columbian
Published: January 21, 2015, 4:00pm
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Bridge congestion is the chief impediment to growth in Southwest Washington, and the top reason that many businesses will not consider relocating to Vancouver, argues John Rudi, president of Thompson Metal Fab. The Portland-to-Vancouver stretch of the Interstate 5 Bridge is one of the nation's most congested transportation corridors.
Thompson Metal Fab Inc. is a fabricator of large infrastructure projects with markets throughout the Western United States and the Pacific Rim. Like any large manufacturing business, TMF requires an efficient and competitive transportation system. Transportation access is not only critical to move our products, it allows efficient access by our workforce and the thousands of suppliers who support TMF.
Recently, the Vancouver City Council passed a measure to waive fees for businesses of more than 200 employees willing to relocate to the city. While I applaud the gesture, what we really need is a renewed and forceful commitment to transportation in Southwest Washington. What we really need to improve is the highway gridlock on Interstate 5, starting with the Interstate 5 Bridge.
Bridge congestion is arguably the No. 1 impediment to business growth in Clark and surrounding counties. I will also argue it is the No. 1 reason many businesses will not consider Vancouver a viable relocation option. I have talked to many CEOs who admire Washington’s favorable tax structure, available land and accessible city government. However, when asked why then they do not have a business operating in Vancouver, their answer is almost always the same: the bridge and the constrictive traffic it places on the flow of commerce and workers.
They will never realistically consider placing operations in Vancouver until I-5 traffic changes.
Vancouver has the luxury of being a separate community with a small-town feel adjacent to a major metropolitan area. The city centers are only 9 miles apart, but it frequently takes more than an hour to negotiate the distance. Portland is a major source of commerce for Vancouver with a population to drive business and workforce to support it. The flow of people, goods and services through the I-5 corridor is critical to Vancouver, not to mention the entire West Coast. Improved transportation access to the Portland metropolitan area will not only attract new business, it will allow existing Vancouver and Clark County businesses to grow. That means more money for schools, community services and reduced pressure for new taxes.
City, county and state political leaders need to work with citizens and the business community to make Southwest Washington transportation a priority in Olympia. A path to replacing the I-5 Bridge needs to be included in the next transportation package. Southwest Washington residents and businesses cannot afford to wait another 10 years to revisit the bridge, given the current traffic morass.
A recent editorial in The Columbian stated the current transportation package being submitted to the Legislature includes a meager 0.34 percent of the funds going to projects in Southwest Washington and no funds for a Columbia River bridge. Residents should be extremely concerned. What is equally shocking is that some lawmakers actually appear proud they scuttled any serious transportation improvements in Southwest Washington for the near future.
Any serious commitment to jobs in our community begins with a serious commitment to transportation. As long as we continue to remain divided on what transportation means to Southwest Washington, we will never be heard in Olympia and our needs will forever remain a distant footnote.
