U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, is calling for federal spending on a program that would include funds for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.
Thirty members of Congress — led by Perez and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore. — sent a letter April 7 to the House Appropriations Committee asking for full funding of the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program.
The bipartisan group of lawmakers asked the committee to provide $650 million — the maximum amount of funding — for the program.
The committee would add the funds to its 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.
“Southwest Washington knows the impact of relying on a structurally deficient bridge all too well,” Perez said in the letter. “Commuters are stuck in endless traffic, and the narrow lanes are a safety hazard. Fully funding this program will help us get the funds we need to build the I-5 Bridge Replacement and improve the country’s transportation infrastructure as a whole.”
The federal government pours billions of dollars into major bridge projects each year. The 2021 Investments and Jobs Act allocated $12.49 billion for the federal Bridge Investment Program over a five-year period — about $2.5 billion annually between 2022 and 2026.
But lawmakers say it’s not enough. There are 43,000 bridges in America in poor condition, more than twice the number from eight years ago, according to the letter.
“The backlog for bridge repairs stands at a stunning $125 billion,” the letter states. “To address this challenge, the Federal Highway Administration estimates an additional $8.3 billion is needed each year.”
To Southwest Washington, this could mean additional funding for the new Interstate 5 Bridge, which has an estimated price tag around $6 billion. The grant must be used “to improve bridge condition and the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges,” according to a fact sheet.
The Bridge Investment Program funds three types of projects, categorized by size. The Interstate Bridge Replacement falls into the large-projects category. The minimum grant size for large projects is $50 million. Local governments and states can apply for the funding.
It is unclear how a grant from the Bridge Investment Program would fit in with other funding sources, such as tolls and state funding.
Frank Green, assistant administrator of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, told The Columbian in February that most of the $1.32 billion to $1.99 billion in transit investments will be covered by federal funds.
“The Congresswoman hears about the impacts of the bridge everywhere she goes,” Hannah Crook, Perez’s communications director, said in an email. “She led this bipartisan letter because it supports funding for the federal program that the Interstate Bridge Replacement team intends to tap for funding.”
In the meantime, Interstate Bridge Replacement Program administrators will continue applying for federal grants in hopes of beginning construction by 2025.
