Cantwell Statement on I-5 Bridge Replacement Project Clearing Crucial Federal Milestone

Cantwell Statement on I-5 Bridge Replacement Project Clearing Crucial Federal Milestone

EDMONDS, WA - The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration announced that they have issued an amended Record of Decision for the Interstate 5 Bridge Replacement (IBR) Project, effectively signing off on the environmental review phase and clearing the way for the decadeslong project to move into the construction phase.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement:

"Let's get building! The signing of the Record of Decision brings the Pacific Northwest one step closer to replacing the aging Interstate Bridge with the modern, resilient crossing our region has needed for decades. This bridge carries one of the Nation's most important freight corridors, with $48 billion in American-made and American-grown goods crossing it each year. With this key federal environmental review complete, it's time to put the $2.1 billion in federal grants to work building a bridge that will serve our region and the Nation for generations."

As the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate committee that oversees transportation and commerce, Sen. Cantwell has been a leading national voice for replacing the I-5 bridge. She created the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, or Mega program, with the I-5 bridge in mind.

In December 2023, the project was awarded $600 million, the largest-ever grant through the program. In July 2024, the project received $1.5 billion in federal funds from the Bridge Investment Program (BIP), which was funded through the BIL. Federal grants announced so far for the project account for over $2.1 billion in funding.

A one-pager on Sen. Cantwell's history of leadership establishing the Mega program in the BIL, as well as championing the I-5 bridge replacement project overall, is available HERE.

In January 2025, she secured a commitment from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during his Commerce Committee nomination hearing to honor the federal funding allocated by the Biden administration to projects already underway, including the I-5 bridge between Vancouver and Portland.

In August 2024, Sen. Cantwell joined Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt to celebrate the $1.5 billion BIP grant. Video of that press conference is available HERE, audio HERE, photos HERE, and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell's remarks HERE.

In January 2024, Sen. Cantwell held a roundtable discussion with local leaders, stakeholders, and other federal officials. The group toured the I-5 bridge and discussed future funding opportunities for completion of the replacement project. [PRESS RELEASE | PHOTOS]

In spring of 2022, Sen. Cantwell toured the I-5 bridge along with local and regional leaders; photos of that tour are available for download HERE and video is HERE.