Buttigieg visits interstate highway bridge in Pacific Northwest slated for seismic replacement

By CLAIRE RUSH and JENNIFER KANE
Associated Press

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is in the Pacific Northwest visiting a major bridge that’s slated for a multibillion-dollar replacement. The Interstate 5 bridge spans the Columbia River and connects Portland, Oregon, with southwest Washington state. It’s a vital transport and commerce link for the region. It was built in 1917 and became part of the interstate in 1957. But at more than 100 years old, the bridge is at risk of collapse during an earthquake. The decades-long project to replace it with a new, seismically sound bridge was recently awarded $600 million in federal funding under the bipartisan infrastructure law. The money is expected to cover about 10% of the roughly $6 billion cost.