Douglas Tweet, a resident of Camas, has voiced his opinion on the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR), urging transportation officials to reconsider the current design plans. Tweet proposes eliminating the light rail component entirely from the project and reallocating those funds to construct two auxiliary lanes in each direction. This suggestion comes in response to the Final Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) published by the IBR in April 2026, which is currently under review by the US Department of Transportation (DOT).
Concerns Over Current Design
The FSEIS outlines the IBR Recommended Design, which includes only one auxiliary lane in each direction. According to Tweet, this design fails to meet the primary goal of reducing traffic congestion. The estimated construction costs for the IBR project are projected to reach up to $15.2 billion, with potential increases over the 20-year construction period, resulting in a potentially more congested corridor.
Tweet argues that a superior design, which includes two auxiliary lanes in both directions, would significantly alleviate congestion and enhance freight mobility. The FSEIS data supports this claim, showing that the two-lane design outperforms the one-lane design in every measure of congestion, including hours of congestion, travel time, and extent of congestion.
Data-Driven Proposal
The FSEIS data predicts that by 2045, the two auxiliary lane design would improve traffic conditions compared to 2019 levels, particularly for northbound traffic during peak afternoon hours. The design is expected to reduce congestion by 31%, travel time by 60%, and the extent of congestion by over 90% for northbound traffic. Despite these findings, the IBR officials have recommended the one-lane design.
Tweet highlights the current and projected space allocation on the bridge, which he describes as unfair. The current design dedicates approximately half of the bridge to light rail, buses, pedestrians, and bicycles, which accounted for only 2.3% of person trips in 2019. In contrast, vehicle traffic, including freight trucks and emergency vehicles, which made up 97.7% of trips, is confined to the remaining space. Even with the IBR’s optimistic transit predictions, half of the bridge space would serve just 12% of users by 2045.
In conclusion, Tweet advocates for canceling the light rail component of the I-5 bridge project and using the savings to construct two auxiliary lanes in each direction. He believes this change would lead to significant improvements in congestion and travel times, benefiting all vehicles, including automobiles, freight trucks, and emergency vehicles.
Original reporting: Clark County Today (Vancouver WA) — read the source article.
