Where does the Interstate Bridge Replacement project stand? [Video]

PORTLAND, Ore. — As the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project continues to move through the environmental review process, several questions still loom in the air: What’s the bridge’s design? What’s the timeline? And are there going to be job opportunities for local businesses?

In this week’s episode of Straight Talk, Greg Johnson, the program administrator for IBR, and Aiden Gronauer, assistant director of civil rights and equity, join as guests to answer those questions and address the possibility of homes needing to be removed to make way for the new bridge.

The proposed $6 billion replacement bridge calls for several new add-ons that the current Interstate Bridge lacks, including a light rail line from Portland to Vancouver, as well as an upgrade to much of the surrounding five miles of freeway — all of which would increase the bridge’s footprint along I-5.

Documents obtained by KGW show that IBR …