Gluesenkamp Perez Calls on Coast Guard to Approve Cost-Effective Fixed-Span Replacement of the Interstate (I-5) Bridge

<p><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C. — </strong>Last night, <a href="http://gluesenkampperez.house.gov">Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03)</a> sent a letter to <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.pacificarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Northwest-District/Command-Cadre/__;!!BSgrhSFG!GDpEU9Gvp2_UuhwxBtf0kI1N9syJDMN8LGS1MzxkWH5q-Hu8ZCi0Ch7mx4sLlLR1cMteyOW174cMXTFLmbOFVHP3UCmaDib5lXg$">Rear Admiral Arex Avanni</a>, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District, to call on him to approve a cost-effective fixed-span replacement for the aging Interstate (I-5) Bridge.<br /><br /><em>“It would be shortsighted to sacrifice our industrial economy suspending a fiction of a limitless military budget,” </em><strong>said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez.</strong> <em>“Normal people can’t afford tolls, and they certainly don’t want a bridge that costs billions more for negligible strategic value.”</em><em></em></p>

<p>The full letter can be found <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/d12t4t5x3vyizu.cloudfront.net/gluesenkampperez.house.gov/uploads/2026/01/Gluesenkamp-Perez-Letter-to-Coast-Guard-IBR-Height.pdf__;!!BSgrhSFG!GDpEU9Gvp2_UuhwxBtf0kI1N9syJDMN8LGS1MzxkWH5q-Hu8ZCi0Ch7mx4sLlLR1cMteyOW174cMXTFLmbOFVHP3UCmaoWG7PLY$">here</a>.<br /><br />A fixed-span bridge is likely to cost more than a billion dollars less than a moveable-span and would end the current bridge raises that cause traffic backups. There is <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.columbian.com/news/2025/nov/19/effort-to-replace-interstate-5-bridge-reaches-milestone-as-four-river-users-ok-agreements/*:*:text=The*20fixed*2Dspan*20bridge*20design,according*20to*20the*20news*20release.__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!BSgrhSFG!GDpEU9Gvp2_UuhwxBtf0kI1N9syJDMN8LGS1MzxkWH5q-Hu8ZCi0Ch7mx4sLlLR1cMteyOW174cMXTFLmbOFVHP3UCma7Iu13Ow$">broad local agreement among Columbia River users</a> that the fixed-span option is the ideal path forward.<br /><br />Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez helped secure $2.099 billion in federal funding for the I-5 Bridge replacement project, including a <a href="https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/posts/gluesenkamp-perez-murray-cantwell-announce-whopping-1-499-billion-award-for-i-5-bridge-replacement-project">$1.499 billion Bridge Investment Program (BIP)</a> grant in July of 2024 and a <a href="https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/posts/gluesenkamp-perez-cantwell-murray-announce-grant-for-i-5-bridge-replacement-project">$600 million Mega grant</a> in December of 2023.</p>

<p class="has-text-align-center">###</p>

<p></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/posts/gluesenkamp-perez-calls-on-coast-guard-to-approve-cost-effective-fixed-span-replacement-of-the-interstate-i-5-bridge">Gluesenkamp Perez Calls on Coast Guard to Approve Cost-Effective Fixed-Span Replacement of the Interstate (I-5) Bridge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov">Marie Gluesenkamp Perez</a>.</p>