Joe Kent doesn’t like the I-5 bridge project. Could he change it if he’s in Congress?
Tens of thousands of people use the Interstate 5 bridge every day. (Courtesy of Interstate Bridge Replacement Program)
Joe Kent doesn't like how the project to replace the Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River is shaping up.
But can the Republican candidate for Congress do anything about it if he wins next month's election?
Stopping the project is unlikely nor has he said he would try. But there's potential for him to influence the scope and trajectory of the multi-billion dollar undertaking should he unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in their duel for the 3rd Congressional District seat.
Two years ago, he lost to Gluesenkamp Perez by 2,629 votes in the district that encompasses communities in the southwest corner of Washington. Its southern boundary is the Columbia River and includes Vancouver which is linked by the bridge to Portland.
The two are now in a heated rematcha toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Replacement of the decades-old crossing, which experts say is at risk of collapse in a major earthquake, is an issue on which the two are sharply divided.
Gluesenkamp Perez wants it done and has helped secure federal grants totaling $2.1 billionShe has asked program administrators to do what they can to hold down construction costs and limit the need for tolling.
Kent opposes tolling and the planned inclusion of light rail. He doesn't want the existing bridge torn down. It should be left and retrofitted for continued use, he says, and a new bridge constructed elsewhere across the Columbia River to give drivers additional options.
"Let's build an actual third bridge that really actually reduces the amount of congestion that we have right now," he said in a recent debate. "[Replacing] a three-lane bridge with a three-lane bridge, and light rail and tolls, that doesn't work for anybody."
Kent has not said what actions he'll pursue to retool the project if elected. His campaign did not respond to questions for this story.
Democratic and Republican state lawmakers involved in tracking the project's progress said the limited clout of freshman members would likely restrict Kent's ability to disrupt much.
"He can certainly try. It's unclear how much cache he will have. He may slow it down a second but I don't know how as a freshman member he can stop or change the project in a negative way," said state Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center. "To her credit [Gluesenkamp Perez] has spent a lot of time on the issues and squinted hard to make sure the project is doing what it needs to do."
Circumstances are different than in 2014 when Washington and Oregon suspended the Columbia River Crossing project amid a lack of funding and a lot of community opposition led in part by Rivers and other southwest Washington state lawmakers.
