Back-to-back federal grants have awarded the project about $2.1 billion in the past year, which officials said is enough to fund design and start construction.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A mix of Oregon and Washington officials gathered Thursday near the Interstate Bridge for an event to celebrate a series of federal grant awards that have collectively brought in roughly $2.1 billion over the past year for the project to replace the aging structure.
The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program was awarded $600 million from the Mega Grant program last year and another $1.5 billion from the Bridge Investment Program last month. Both programs were created as part of President Joe Biden’s signature Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021.
“The 1.5 (billion dollars) means that we can start the funding on design and ultimately construction, which could happen as early as 2026. So I’m telling people, you’d better start taking pictures of this bridge, because it’s …