There is scarcely any way that replacing the I-5 Bridge could be made a practical project. First of all, the design logistics are formidable. Because of the placement of the main Columbia navigation channel, any new project would have to deal with this — just as other area bridges have to. Either high fixed clearance, or opening span. Sorry, engineering is secondary. This is in the area of established public policies. A fixed-height bridge would have steep connections to existing highways. An opening bridge would be a major design challenge.
Secondly, the disruption to local economic functions would be horrendous. People getting to jobs would have to allow significant extra time, and then probably not make a lot of appointments within any reasonable schedule. Businesses operating in both states would be stymied. Interstate freight would also become the victim, and be tempted to remedy this with time-saving tactics that would just contribute to roadway risk.
It’s one thing to complain about how bad the present I-5 bridges are. It’s another to objectively assess the practical implications and come up with rational solutions.
