The Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) program has been awarded another $1 million in the megaproject's long journey.
The new funds come from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, which announced the funds the week of October 12.
The funds are intended to be used to put into action a planned ground-improvement study on Hayden Island, which is intended to mitigate effects of liquefaction in case of an earthquake. This research will help make sure the new bridge is more seismically resilient.
Kris Strickler is the director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, which submitted a joint application for the grant request with the Washington State Department of Transportation. ODOT and WSDOT also applied for an additional $750 million grant for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program in August, which have not been announced yet.
"Addressing the issues associated with the existing Interstate Bridge is critical to the vitality of our transportation system and is a high priority for both Oregon and Washington," Strickler said. "Federal support for the IBR program demonstrates continued momentum for this critical effort to ensure a seismically-resilient corridor, while significantly improving safety, mobility, reliability and accessibility for the traveling public and the movement of freight."
The includes plans to pursue more federal grant opportunities in 2023, as well.
"A program of this size generally does not get done without significant federal dollars," said Greg Johnson, IBR program administrator. "We have not seen this level of federal infrastructure funding available since the 1990s, which includes new grant programs available for bridges and economically significant projects that haven't existed previously. This is a unique window of opportunity to secure an infusion of federal dollars into our regional economy to support this critical infrastructure investment that would otherwise go elsewhere in the United States."
