U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez held firm that tolling proposals should be reduced or eliminated on a planned replacement of the Interstate 5 Bridge at a Wednesday roundtable. “The tolling proposals raise significant concerns for me,” she said. “Tolls are an inherently regressive tax. I think it’s important that we are considering how to have equity in tolling, how to reduce tolling and how to eliminate tolling.” Perez, D-Skamania, hosted the event with U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, at the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s downtown Vancouver office. The roundtable convened labor union representatives, state lawmakers and bridge users, as well as representatives from the city of Vancouver, C-Tran, the Columbia River Economic Development Council and the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association.

The group discussed the recently released draft supplemental environmental impact statement, a critical document that outlines every aspect of the project in fine detail. Perez stressed the need for reduced congestion. She added that the program should focus on building up the trades workforce and ensuring that a representative sample of public input informs the project design. “My community didn’t ask for bells and whistles. We want durability and congestion relief,” she said. Larsen, a ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said the program is the largest project in Washington being funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law that passed in November 2021. The law will need to be reauthorized by September 2026.

“Doing one version of the bipartisan infrastructure law is not going to be enough to catch up with the lack of investment the country has subjected itself to,” he said. He attended the roundtable to learn more about the program, meet advocates and to understand the next steps, he said. “It helps me as the ranking member of the full committee on transportation in the U.S. House of Representatives,” he said. “It helps me make the case to others that we need to do this again.” Perez released a statement last week expressing her concerns about tolling proposals for the new bridge. She urged program officials to prioritize Southwest Washington bridge users’ concerns in the final project design and called for limited tolling and increased vehicular capacity to reduce congestion.

She has helped secure nearly $2.1 billion in federal funding for the project. Now, she is encouraging her constituents to participate in the 60-day public comment period that began following the release of the draft supplemental environmental impact statement. Responses will help inform technical analysis and design options and will refine the preferred alternative, according to program officials. The public comment period ends Nov. 18. “One of the things I really wanted to hear today was how comments and public input is weighted to reflect the full population of the district, and not just reflecting who has time to follow this issue,” Perez said. “I’m an advocate to make sure that a representative sample of my community is reflected in the bridge design and proposed funding for tolls. We really need to reach a broad spectrum of people here.” Larsen told Perez that she should be prepared to send a letter to program officials calling for an extended public comment period. The full document is posted on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s website, including a 60-page executive summary available in multiple languages. The website also includes tools and videos to help people understand the document and how to comment on it. Multiple public hearings about the document will occur this month where people can submit their comments in person. To learn more, visit www.interstatebridge.org/updates-folder/supplemental-environmental-impact-statement.