Douglas Tweet, a Camas resident, has proposed an alternative to the current I-5 Bridge replacement plan. He suggests that by eliminating light rail, the project could save $2.5 billion and reduce the bridge’s width by 31 feet.

Cost Savings and Reduced Congestion

Tweet’s proposal comes as the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) is facing significant cost increases. The IBR executives have presented updates on the project, including the potential cost savings of eliminating light rail. According to the IBR’s Final Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS), the two-auxiliary-lane design would reduce congestion, travel times, and crashes more than the one-auxiliary-lane design.

However, the IBR recommends the design with just one auxiliary lane in each direction, citing cost and space concerns. Tweet’s proposal aims to address these concerns by removing light rail and reducing the width of the shared-use path, which could lead to significant cost savings and reduced congestion.

Original reporting: Clark County Today (Vancouver WA) — read the source article.