The soaring price tag for a new Interstate 5 bridge is only the latest stumble in a decades-long effort to replace the aging crossing.

Why it matters: The total project cost has more than quadrupled since an earlier replacement plan fell apart in 2013 and now tops $14 billion — all while the bridge continues to snarl traffic and risks collapse in a major earthquake.

The big picture: In 2014, Bloomberg News called the abandoned I-5 bridge project over the Columbia River "one of the greatest engineering non-achievements of the 21st century."

• Twelve years later, state officials say they're determined to move forward.
• "We need a new bridge, and it's time to start building it," Gov. Tina Kotek said in a written statement.

State of play: The current I-5 bridge consists of two spans — one built in 1958 and another dating to 1917.

• Both rise to accommodate boat traffic, causing regular backups at what officials say is the only stoplight on I-5 between Canada and Mexico.

Catch up quick: Efforts to address the traffic chokepoint gained steam in the late 1990s.

• By 2002, congestion in the area had become severe enough that a bistate task force called for a new crossing with light rail and more lanes.
• In 2005, Oregon and Washington launched the Columbia River Crossing project to plan a replacement bridge and light rail extension.
• Federal officials gave the project the green light in 2011, committing to a design that included light rail. Oregon approved $450 million toward construction in 2013.

Yes, but: Washington's Legislature didn't follow suit, largely because members of the conservative state Senate majority objected to the light rail component of the project.

• Oregon officials explored pursuing a new bridge on their own for about a year before ultimately shutting down the project in 2014.
• Oregon and Washington formally restarted planning efforts in 2019.

The latest: The new $14.4 billion price tag to replace the bridge and upgrade the surrounding corridor is driven in part by inflation and projected risk, according to an updated estimate released last month.

• Project officials are now looking to delay some planned corridor improvements, including freeway interchanges and additional light rail stops to focus on replacing the bridge itself and bringing light rail to the Vancouver waterfront.

Dig into the numbers

Office vacancy rates in downtown Portland are down for the first time in nearly three years — dropping from 33% in the last quarter of 2025 to 31.9% in the first of 2026 — according to data from real estate firm Kidder Matthews.

The big picture: This is welcome news for the city's urban core, which has struggled to lure workers and foot traffic back since the pandemic.

• Even a modest dip in vacancy suggests downtown may be inching toward stabilization, the report notes. The figures track availability, which includes both vacant and marketed space.

The latest: UpStart Collective, PwC, Bank of America, marketing firm Finn Partners and Portland City Grill are among the latest companies to recommit to — or expand their spaces — downtown, per Portland Business Journal.

• Plus: Jeff Swickard of Swickard Group recently upped his investment in downtown to $125 million with the purchases of Big Pink, the Five Oak Building and now the Black Box Building at 200 Southwest Market Street.

Yes, but: Office vacancy rates remain far above pre-2020 levels and the current nationwide average, underscoring how long the road back could be — if a full return is even in the cards in our new hybrid-work era.

• For example, downtown Portland held a 10.4% office vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2019, which was considered high at the time.

🧥 Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo is eyeing two Portland-area locations — one in Tigard's Washington Square shopping center and downtown's Fox Tower — for its Oregon retail debut. (Portland Business Journal)

🤷 Multnomah County's health department can't figure out where $151,000 in gift cards and cash incentives went even after spending months trying to track down the relevant documents. (The Oregonian)

😢 A juvenile gray whale discovered swimming about 20 miles inland in southwest Washington's Willapa River last week was found dead just a few days later — the latest casualty in a string of recent gray whale deaths (OPB)

💰 Mayor Keith Wilson is asking Washington and Clackamas counties for $10.5 million to help fund homeless shelters as the city faces a multi-million dollar budget shortfall. (KPTV)

🛒 The Trader Joe's in Southeast Portland reopened yesterday after it abruptly closed last month due to asbestos exposure. (KOIN)

We're about 10 weeks out from the official start of summer but it's sure felt like it the last couple of days.

• It reached 79 degrees at Portland International Airport on Easter Sunday, breaking the record high temperature set in 1977.

Cooler days are on the horizon — but expect the sun to stick around until the weekend, when a chance of rain clouds are expected to roll in.

• That should be a welcome relief for allergy sufferers, as tree pollen counts have been in the very high to high range.