Cost Estimates and Funding

Project capital cost estimates were updated in October 2007. The total preliminary cost estimates are $3.1 to $4.2 billion.*

The cost estimates are based on year of expenditure dollars, or the projected year that the money would be spent. The estimate assumes construction would occur between 2010 and 2017. Operating and maintenance costs are not included.

The cost range** covers all the four “build” alternatives that are evaluated in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Cost estimates for the Locally Preferred Alternative will be updated during a Cost Risk Assessment expected in early 2009.

Cost Ranges by Component


	I-5 Highway Related Costs
	(includes river crossing and interchanges)
	Replacement bridge	$2.67 to $3.09 billion
	Supplemental bridge	$2.51 to $2.88 billion

	High Capacity Transit
	(includes all possible alignments and lengths)
	Bus rapid transit	$0.46 to $0.99 billion
	Light rail	$0.53 to $1.17 billion

*More information on cost estimation may be found on the WSDOT Web page on the Cost Estimate Validation Process.

**The ranges are estimated construction costs and do not include operating and maintenance costs. The ultimate cost and time to complete a project is subject to many variables that cannot all be known before hand, like inflation, demand for materials or labor, and the availability of funding. The range is determined through a risk-based analysis that estimates the probability that actual construction costs will fall somewhere within the range.

Potential Funding Sources

Multiple sources will help fund construction of the Columbia River Crossing project:

Federal
State of Oregon
State of Washington
Tolling I-5
Regional and local

The U.S. Department of Transportation has pledged to support the project with a grant from its Corridors of the Future program.

Cost Estimates and Funding

Cost Ranges by Component

I-5 Highway Related Costs

High Capacity Transit

Potential Funding Sources