Local lawmakers worry Inslee’s bridge money could lead to light rail

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The announcement of Gov. Jay Inslee’s biennial budget has garnered much local attention with differing views around what will happen with the Interstate 5 bridge sparking the most talk.

Inslee formally released his biennial 2019-2021 budget Dec. 13. Chief among the local items is the inclusion of $17.5 million to open an office specifically for I-5 bridge replacement. Responses from Southwest Washington lawmakers has been mixed, with some wholeheartedly lauding the funding designation while others spoke more leery over the possibility of light rail mass transit coming into Clark County.

Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, said the funding was “a major step forward” in replacement of the aging bridge. She noted several recent developments moving toward that goal, one of which being her 2017 legislation that established a Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee to work on replacement.

The committee met Dec. 11 with Oregon legislators in attendance for the first time, but only as guests and not officially-appointed members of the committee. The Washington committee members include Cleveland as well as state senators Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, and Ann Rivers, R-La Center, as well as state representatives Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, Brandon Vick, R-Felida and Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver for those representing Southwest Washington.

Several of those legislators — Wilson, Rivers, Vick and Orcutt — were part of a letter sent to Inslee following his budget release that raised concerns over some language in the budget plan. Those lawmakers were joined by State Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia; State Reps. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, and Paul Harris, R-Vancouver and U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground who took issue with a statement that the Washington State Department of Transportation “… shall assume any plan for a new bridge will include light rail.”

 “The voters of Clark County have had three opportunities to weigh in on light rail, most recently in 2013. Each time, the pro-light rail side of the issue was soundly defeated,” the letter read. “We owe it to those we serve to represent their preferences in negotiations over any future I-5 bridge project.”

The letter wasn’t against mass transit options entirely, speaking favorably to statements from the governor regarding an openness to other alternatives. One local lawmaker, Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, was harder on mass transit, claiming that the option wasn’t wanted in Clark County.



In her own letter to Inslee Kraft pointed to the 2013 vote as well as financial information from a 2017 C-TRAN report that showed ridership revenues were only 10 percent of the transit agency’s budget. She instead vouched for an additional crossing over the Columbia River as a more prudent focus.

Outside of legislators the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) also heralded the inclusion for opening a project office as a good addition to the budget. 

“This move makes it clear that Governor Inslee sees the importance of advancing infrastructure solutions along the Interstate 5 corridor through Clark County.” CREDC interim president Max Ault said in a statement. “This investment is a critical step to continue growing Washington’s economy and strengthen Clark County’s competitive advantage at a national and global scale.”

The release noted CREDC had formed their own task force including business and public sector leaders to help push along a bridge replacement project. Several local leaders gave statements of support, including Kevin Tapani, vice president and chief financial officer for Battle Ground-based Tapani Inc. He stressed the need for Washington and Oregon to work together to address traffic over and on both sides of the river.

“I believe if all parties work together for the good of the whole, the challenges can be overcome, and we can move forward to strengthen our communities,” Tapani stated.