What about the big earthquake?

Perhaps you have heard that the existing I-5 bridges are “broken” because they are old, built on wooden piles, and don’t meet current seismic standards. Does this mean they are junk? The CRC project convened an expert panel to see if it is feasible to retrofit the existing bridges, what it would cost, and whether it would impair their historic character.

They can be retrofitted, for a cost of $125 million to $265 million (including all overhead) and the character of the bridges would not be significantly affected. The higher number would bring them to the current seismic safety standards. Of all the other bridges across the Willamette or Columbia in the Portland region, only the new Sauvie Island Bridge meets the current standards. Since the I-205 bridge is already much closer to current standards than the other bridges, it makes sense to move this retrofit to the head of the line for funding only if it is paid for by tolls.

Read the “Executive Summary” report of the expert panel.