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Interstate 5 traffic causes freight travel fatigue

Interstate 5 traffic causes freight travel fatigue

Truckers, Port of Vancouver, businesses, others devise ways to grapple with I-5 Bridge backups

- The Columbian
It’s 2:10 p.m. on a Monday and northbound traffic has slowed to a crawl near the Interstate 5 Bridge.
Nearby, Steve Johnson is polishing off breakfast at the Cascade Grill in the Jubitz Travel Center.
Johnson’s day started in Pierce County, delivering produce to the Costco Distribution Center in Sumner. After unloading his cargo, he headed south to the Jubitz mini-city at 10210 N. Vancouver Way in Portland. His leased Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer sits in the...

Vancouver federal legislative agenda: New I-5 bridge top goal

Vancouver federal legislative agenda: New I-5 bridge top goal

Relationships with Oregon crucial, city's federal government liaison says

- The Columbian
In Vancouver, it all comes down to the Interstate 5 Bridge.
The city council was briefed on its 2019 federal legislative agenda Monday night, and unsurprisingly, replacing the I-5 Bridge was the top goal.
“We need to lay the groundwork to build the relationships once again in Oregon,” said Joel Rubin, the city’s federal government liaison.
Rubin said that having U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., in his new position as House Transportation and Infrastructure...

Wheeler: Oregon, Washington should 'get job done' on I-5 bridge

Wheeler: Oregon, Washington should 'get job done' on I-5 bridge

- The Oregonian
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Friday that officials in Oregon and Washington should begin working together again in earnest to replace the Interstate Bridge.
Yet Wheeler said he approaches talks of bridge replacement "with a healthy dose of skepticism," given that Oregon spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a river crossing project, and Washington terminated its efforts after its legislature failed to adopt funding.
Wheeler said any work by Oregon and Washington on a bridge...

The I-5 Bridge Replacement

The I-5 Bridge Replacement

- Columbia Corridor Association
[Excerpt from Columbia Corridor Newsletter]
CCA hosted a transportation summit in partnership with Identity Clark County, Portland Business Alliance, Greater Portland Inc, Columbia River Economic Development Council, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and SW Fact on August 28 with over 180 business and community members. Presenters and comments from participants reinforced that it's past time to replace the Interstate 5 bridge. Congestion and commutes have significant increased since...

Latest to endorse I-5 bridge talks: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler

Latest to endorse I-5 bridge talks: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler

- The Oregonian
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Monday that regional officials should renew talks about replacing the Interstate Bridge, making him the latest of many officials to endorse a new round of discussions.
"I think we should talk about it," Wheeler said. "I think we should engage."
The mayor stopped short of endorsing any particular plan.
House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said last week that it is her goal for Oregon and Washington officials to begin talks in 2019.
The...

Tina Kotek: Oregon and Washington lawmakers should meet to talk Interstate Bridge

Tina Kotek: Oregon and Washington lawmakers should meet to talk Interstate Bridge

- The Oregonian
House Speaker Tina Kotek wants to sit down with Washington lawmakers before the end of the year with a simple goal: Talk about meeting again sometime in 2019 to discuss replacing the Interstate Bridge.
"I know that might seem like a low bar," Kotek said about talking about talking, "but that will get us started."
The Portland Democrat spoke Wednesday at a transportation forum in North Portland, saying she welcomes a renewed commitment from Washington legislators who appear ready to...

Washington tries to woo Oregon back to Interstate Bridge

Washington tries to woo Oregon back to Interstate Bridge

- The Oregonian
Before she entered politics, Anne McEnerny-Ogle was a junior high math teacher who commuted for a quarter-of-a-century between Clark County and Lake Oswego.
As Vancouver’s mayor, solving problems is an integral part of her life. So is the 100-year-old Interstate Bridge, the Interstate 5 drawbridge over the Columbia River that still stands unchanged despite calls for its replacement since the 1990s.
Now, five years after a few Washington state senators left Oregon at the altar...

Business leaders push for I-5 bridge replacement

Business leaders push for I-5 bridge replacement

Summit presenters and panelists say statistics show congestion is worse than ever on interstate span.

- Portland Tribune
It is past time to restart discussion over replacing the I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington, business leaders agreed during a Regional Transportation Summit held last Tuesday, Aug. 28.
The summit drew more than 185 people to the Red Lion on the River, located on Hayden Island near the southern end of the bridge.
"The I-5 bridge is an aging bottleneck," said Ron Arp, president of Identity Clark County, at the beginning of the summit. Identity Clark County is a business...

Bridging the gap

Bridging the gap

Summit seeks Oregon buy-in on I-5 bridge replacement

- The Reflector
The Portland metro business community on both sides of the river is trying to send a message to Oregon lawmakers that a replacement of the Interstate 5 bridge is a big concern.
The Business Leaders Regional Transportation Summit was hosted in Portland Aug. 28. It featured more than 150 officials in government, business and other organizations, including many representing Washington interests. The event was hosted at the Red Lion hotel on Hayden Island, overlooking the bridge span in...

Resume talks to replace I-5’s Columbia River spans

Resume talks to replace I-5’s Columbia River spans

Even 200 miles away, Snohomish County needs a reliable span across the Columbia River.

- Herald Net
At a distance of some 200 miles — and four or more hours as the traffic crawls along I-5 — Interstate 5’s crossing of the Columbia River, connecting Washington state and Oregon, might not seem of great importance for most residents in Snohomish County, especially as they sit in their own jams in traffic on that same interstate.
But as Snohomish County continues its development as a base for manufacturing, it will become increasingly reliant on interstates and highways...