Interstate 5 from Evergreen Boulevard in Vancouver, Wash., on Jan. 13, 2025. The interstate divides eastern and western portions of the city. A new span will be constructed to reconnect them.
Erik Neumann / OPB
Washington lawmakers announced Monday a $30 million grant to construct a “lid” over a section of Interstate 5 is coming to the city of Vancouver. The award will fund construction on one piece of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.
The project is an effort to connect east and west Vancouver, between downtown and the 208-acre Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. It will be located south of Evergreen Boulevard, one of the few connections over I-5, which otherwise divides the city.
“People often talk about ‘Oh, West Vancouver.’ This is an opportunity to pull us together to share another place that joins us,” said Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle.
The $30 million grant was funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. It was among four infrastructure projects in Washington announced on Monday and was by far the largest. Others included $2 million to plan new rapid bus transit in Spokane and $1.5 million for a highway study in Seattle.
The specific size of the highway lid was not clear, but McEnerny-Ogle said it will include green space, pathways and benches. It’ll be located near the Vancouver Public Library and a new transit hub which includes light-rail services from Vancouver to Portland.
“This was an opportunity to really reconnect both sides of I-5 with something for active transportation. Because, usually, you see connections that are east-west like this more focused on auto traffic,” said Frank Green, the assistant program administrator for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.
Construction on the new I-5 bridge is expected to start in 2027, Green said. Work on the I-5 lid project would take place after the bridge connecting Oregon and Washington is finished. Though the design of the overall I-5 bridge replacement is not complete, the project will reshape parts of Vancouver’s downtown.
“With this funding, the City of Vancouver and WSDOT will be able to ensure the Vancouver waterfront and downtown remain beautiful and enjoyable places to spend time at when the I-5 bridge replacement project is completed,” Washington Senator Maria Cantwell said in a statement. “This park over I-5 will give people more green space to enjoy and allow visitors and commuters to easily and safely walk or bike right to the new transit options taking them across the river.”
Green emphasized that the grant is one example of how city, state and federal partners have come together to collaborate on the Interstate Bridge replacement project. The $30 million grant is the latest federal investment in the project, which is estimated to cost somewhere between $6 and $7.5 billion.