Members of Clark County’s legislative delegation have introduced a pair of bills meant to advance the replacement of the Interstate 5 Bridge.
Last year, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill intended to restart the process for planning the replacement of the antiquated and congested I-5 Bridge. The bill called on both Oregon and Washington to each appoint eight members to a committee made up of legislators and state transportation employees.
The committee held its first meeting in December as required by the legislation to accept a report detailing past work to replace the bridge. Absent from the meeting were any representatives from Oregon.
Proponents of restarting the process to replace the I-5 Bridge have been optimistic that Oregon would eventually appoint members, but so far that state hasn’t. As a result, the committee hasn’t had a quorum, the minimum number of members needed to conduct business.
Speaking briefly at a meeting of the Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday, Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, presented SB 6118, which aimed to remedy the situation. The bill would define the quorum of the committee as a majority of its Washington members, until Oregon makes appointments.
“Moving forward, we need to appoint co-chairs so that staff has someone to coordinate with for planning purposes,” said Wilson in a follow-up text.
The committee only briefly considered the bill and took no action on it. Speaking at the meeting, the committee’s chair, Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, listed representatives from organizations that support the bill including the city of Vancouver, C-Tran, the Washington Public Ports Association and others.
Clark County legislators have also sponsored a bill that’s aimed at accelerating the building of the bridge once a consensus is reached on a project. SB 6195 and its companion, HB 2646, would expedite the process of getting the replacement bridge designated as a project of statewide significance.
The designation speeds up the permitting process and enhances coordination between state agencies.
State Rep. Monica Stonier, a Vancouver Democrat who is among the sponsors of the bill, said that communicating to constituents is part of the motivation behind the legislation.
“Our job with Southwest Washington is to keep sending the message to our constituents that we are working on this issue,” she said.
