📋 Tender Overview
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, toured the Interstate 5 (I-5) bridge and held a roundtable discussion with local stakeholders and U.S. Senator Patty Murray following last month’s pivotal announcement of $600 million in federal funds for the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) program from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Mega grant program.
The funding announced in December will fund approximately 8-12% of the estimated $5-7.5 billion total bridge replacement project cost. The federal dollars come from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, or Mega program, which Sen. Cantwell authored.
"We're here today to talk about not just the $600 million -- which, we're very thrilled about that investment -- but now within the next month we'll probably be getting feedback on the $1.5 billion request for the [Bridge Investment Program],” Sen. Cantwell said. "Being able to show the federal government we can be ready on the next phase of design and preparation so we can really capitalize on those bridge dollars."
"The federal government is saying we believe in this region. We believe in this project."
During her remarks and the roundtable discussion, Sen. Cantwell noted the importance of the Mega grant and the availability of additional funding opportunities for the bridge replacement project.
The $600 million grant is the largest Mega grant ever awarded, signaling that the federal government recognizes the importance and intends to be a strong partner in building this mammoth project.
In December, the State of Washington applied for $1.5 billion from the DOT’s Bridge Investment Program. The awards are scheduled to be announced this summer. The DOT is expected to return initial feedback on IBR’s grant application as soon as the end of January.
The project has already been accepted into the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program pipeline, making it eligible for up to $1 billion within the next few years. These funds could be awarded in 2027 if the project design is completed next year as expected.
In April 2023, Sen. Cantwell joined 24 Senate Democrat colleagues in sending a letter urging Senate leadership to support $4.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program in the FY2024 appropriations bill. In November 2023, Sen. Cantwell also sent a letter to DOT Secretary Buttigieg in support of the I-5 bridge grant application for the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program (BIP).
Local roundtable participants included IBR Program Administrator Greg Johnson, Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes, C-Tran CEO Shawn Donaghy, C-Tran Deputy CEO Leann Caver, WSDOT Southwest Region Administrator Carley Francis, WSDOT Federal Affairs Director Megan Cotton, Executive Director SW Washington Regional Transportation Council Matt Ransom, Port of Vancouver Commissioner Jack Burkman, Port of Vancouver CEO Julianna Marler, and IBEW Local 48 Business Representative Bob Carroll.
