Leave light rail off new I-5 bridge over Columbia

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, December 20, 2023

If we are ever going to get a new I-5 bridge over the Columbia River, we need to start using some common sense in designing it.

The biggest problem, I think, is the pipe dream of putting light rail on it. I don’t favor light rail, but if we can’t have a new bridge without it, put it on the newer existing bridge, the southbound one, or on the railroad bridge, a mile downriver.

The Coast Guard wants a clearance of 178 feet. The bridge planners want 116 feet. Anything higher would make it too steep for light rail. 178 feet might conflict with the airplane traffic from the two airports on both sides of the river. Leave the light rail off and try to get the Coast Guard and the airports to compromise with maybe 150 feet, or something similar. I-5 veers to the east on both sides of the river so build the new bridge on the east side.

Bob Mattila

Brush Prairie