Oregon
Replacing I-5 bridge will aid drivers, displace some homeowners in WA and Oregon • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Fewer crashes, faster commutes, more transit options and less air pollution are among the expected benefits of replacing the Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River, linking Washington and Oregon, according to a new report released Friday.
There will be costs as well. Construction will require buying up as many as 43 homes and 36 businesses in the two states. Tolling to cover bridge operations will hit lower-income families hardest. And some vessels may be too tall to travel under a new span depending on the chosen design.
The report, known as the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, spans hundreds of pages. It examines potential impacts of locally preferred alternatives for a new bridge compared to doing nothing, or a “no build” option.
Its much-anticipated arrival provides some of the most specific details yet on how the massive, multi-billion undertaking will transform the region. Friday marked the start of a 60-day public comment period on its findings.
Greg Johnson, administrator of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, called the release of the report “a key milestone” and said a focus the next few weeks will be to get the widest ranges of voices from communities reflected in the document.
It is a lengthy and technical document. Online, it is spliced into sections on the program website, with a separate link to each topic like transportation, acquisitions or cumulative effects.
“We’ve done everything we can to bring information to the public so that they can be part of this historic, monumental endeavor,” said Chris Regan, the project’s environmental manager.
A huge challenge
One of the bridge’s two spans is over a century old, the other about 65 years old, and the entire bridge is at risk of collapse in a major earthquake
Project planners estimate the price tag for replacing the bridge will range from $5 billion to $7.5 billion, with a likely figure of around $6 billion. Once rolling, construction is expected to last until 2032.
Thus far, federal grants totaling $2.1 billion have been locked down. Planners are pursuing $1 billion from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program. A decision on that funding isn’t expected until the project is further along.
Washington and Oregon have both committed about $1 billion. Tolls – which could be imposed in both directions on the existing bridge by 2026 – are counted on to raise $1.2 billion for construction, plus provide an ongoing stream of revenue for bridge maintenance and operations.
What’s envisioned is construction of two new bridges, one southbound and one northbound, west of the existing bridge. Each would have three through lanes, safety shoulders, and one or two auxiliary lanes, depending on the chosen alternative. When finished, the existing bridge would be removed.
Also planned is a 1.9-mile extension of light-rail from North Portland, where it currently ends, to a future station near Evergreen Boulevard in Vancouver.
There are three bridge configurations under consideration. One is a double-deck truss bridge with vehicles using the top deck and light rail on the lower deck. Another design is for two single-level bridges with fixed spans, and the third is a single-level bridge with a movable span, similar to what exists today.
The report looks at other elements of the projects including new transit stations, new highway interchanges, tolling and impacts on land use and local economy.
Program officials said at a news conference Friday that what is learned from the review process, and environmental studies, will inform their efforts to avoid, minimize or mitigate negative effects.
Good and bad
At a high level, one of the biggest benefits cited by the report is how traveling along the I-5 corridor between Vancouver and Portland would improve.
It is anticipated that with more transit options – light rail and express buses – there will be fewer vehicles on the road. Less congestion will shorten commute times and reduce the number of crashes, the report concludes.
And the project will greatly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as drivers switch to low and carbon free transportation options, Regan said.
One negative could be the homes and businesses acquired to make way for the project.
In Washington, most acquisitions and displacements would be commercial properties and multifamily dwellings in downtown Vancouver, the report states. Some single-family residences would be acquired along I Street in Vancouver’s Shumway neighborhood and up to 13 businesses in downtown Vancouver would be displaced.
In Oregon, commercial properties and floating homes on Hayden Island will need to be bought up.
An area the project could have a “cumulative adverse effect” is navigation on the river, the report found.
If the new span is a drawbridge, the vertical clearance will be 178 feet as it is today.
But the other potential designs – single- or double-deck fixed-spans – would have only 116 feet of vertical clearance. That would “permanently prevent vessels with (vertical navigation clearance) requirements of greater than 116 feet to transit under the bridge for its 100+ year service life,” the report concludes.
The IBR Program plans six public meetings in October, four virtual and two in-person. Times and details can be found online at www.interstatebridge.org.
The man wanted in connection with two Pierce County homicides was shot and killed by police in Seaside, Oregon, Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank announced on X Wednesday night.
Hayes McCloud, 24, was identified earlier in the day by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) as a person of interest in two killings — the first in Puyallup around 2:40 a.m. and the second in Tacoma shortly after 3 a.m.
On Wednesday night, authorities referred to him as a suspect.
“The suspect has been contacted by police in Seaside, Oregon,” PCSO said in a Facebook post. “We are no longer looking for the suspect and details of the contact and major incident that transpired in Oregon will be available once the investigation is concluded.”
After that announcement, Swank posted an update on X.
“After he killed the person in Tacoma, he drove away. We didn’t know where he went, but he was picked up by a Flock camera in Lewis County around 4 a.m. So we knew he was headed southbound at that point,” Swank’s post said. “The suspect was shot and killed by police in Seaside, Oregon. No cops were hurt. I’m glad he was stopped before he killed anyone else. Great police work!”
The murder suspect from the homicide on Woodland Avenue also shot and killed a person in Tacoma.
After he killed the person in Tacoma, he drove away. We didn’t know where he went, but he was picked up by a flock camera in Lewis County around 4:00 AM. So we knew he was headed…
— Sheriff Keith Swank (@SaveOurSheriff) July 9, 2026
35-year-old killed in Puyallup home early Wednesday
At 2:40 a.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to the 12500 block of Woodland Avenue E. in Puyallup after receiving reports that a man was found dead in a home. Two homeowners were at the scene when deputies arrived.
“The preliminary investigation indicates there was homicidal violence in a bedroom that eventually led outside the home,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office reported. “The 35-year-old male was located inside the home with multiple deadly injuries. We have no suspect in custody at this time.”
Second homicide in Tacoma less than 30 minutes later
Just after 3 a.m., police responded to the 6900 block of E. D Street in Tacoma’s Hillsdale neighborhood after multiple people reported hearing gunfire. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
Officers began lifesaving measures, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
The Oregon Country Fair is right around the corner and got an up-close preview of the annual event with generations of revelers expected to return yet again.
Vendors and construction teams were busy setting the venue up on Wednesday. It opens to the public on Friday, and organizers are expecting a big turnout.
For over fifty years, people have come together to enjoy live music, art, food and community at the event in Veneta.
“It has definitely changed and evolved and it’s definitely still holding true to the magic that has started the fair,” said fair attendee Jill Carter.
Carter has been going to the fair for about forty years, but throughout her time there, there’s always one thing on her mind.
“I’ve had a lifelong dream to do the poster, and I’ve been working on applying for a long time, and I got to do it and I’m so excited!”
Carter says over the years, she’s fine-tuned her design proposal to accurately capture the whimsey of the fair.
“In our day-to-day world, we really don’t get to connect on this kind of level of art and whimsey.”
This curated space of art and whimsey is what keeps generations returning to the fair.
“I was at a meeting the other day and somebody was a third generation Oregon Country fairgoer. Their parents were babies here. They were babies here. Now, they’re on crews that help manage the safety of this community,” says Kate Gillespie, the White Bird Rock Medicine crew coordinator.
Gillespie has been working within medical response at the fair for sixteen years.
Before fair goers even arrive, White Bird Rock Medicine works on setting up for the two hospitals provided on site as well as staffing medical crew – which consists of almost 300 medical professionals and mental health crisis workers.
“We are prepared to deal with first aid things like scrapes, bumps, bruises; injured feet are a big thing that we see – all the way up to things like cardiac events and strokes,” Gillespie explains.
And for the attendees they serve, the event is a yearly tradition that is more than just a fair – it’s a chance to catch up with old friends and make new memories.
“I think it’s really like a reunion for a lot of the people that are out here on this property,” says Gillespie.
The Oregon Country Fair runs Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the intersection of Suttle Road and Bus Road in Veneta.
For more information, visit the fair website.
The Oregon attorney general will ask a court to pause Paramount’s PSKY.O $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. WBD.O for 60 days, saying on Tuesday that the company withheld records of its lobbying efforts.
While Paramount has told the state it will not close the deal before July 16, Attorney General Dan Rayfield said he will ask a Multnomah County court to order the company to hand over records and to delay the deal so the state can review them.
“We’re not going to let Paramount Skydance play hide the ball so they can rush through their massive merger,” Rayfield said in a statement. “Oregonians have a real stake in this deal – in our film industry, in our economy, in the choices they’ll have as consumers.”
A Paramount spokesperson said the information Oregon seeks “has nothing to do with whether this transaction complies with Oregon’s antitrust laws and is not a legitimate basis to delay a plainly lawful, pro-competitive transaction.”
The company has provided the state with documents relevant to the merger, the spokesperson added.
Oregon is seeking documents regarding “Project Warrior,” which was Paramount’s internal code name for efforts to obtain regulatory clearance. The state is also asking for records related to the company’s efforts to lobby the Trump administration for support of the merger.
Paramount CEO David Ellison’s father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, has cultivated ties with President Donald Trump, and the company has hired former Trump officials.
Oregon is also seeking information on whether Paramount had any role in the U.S. Department of Justice’s statement announcing it had cleared the deal.
While Oregon ordinarily “would afford significant weight” to the DOJ’s determination, the state plans to cite a Wall Street Journal report that officials overrode career staff attorneys at the DOJ who were leaning toward a recommendation to challenge the deal, according to documents to be filed in court that Reuters reviewed.
The DOJ issued a lengthy statement last month saying it believed the deal would “increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers.”
The company has said the deal would create a stronger streaming competitor to Netflix NFLX.O and Disney DIS.N, and benefit creatives and consumers.
California, New York and other U.S. states are preparing to sue to block the deal, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last month. The states have authority to enforce laws against mergers that they believe would unlawfully decrease competition.
Opponents of the deal, including some actors, writers and media workers, have worried that it would hurt jobs.
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