Bridge Program Cleared to Begin Activities Related to Activities Preceding Construction
Federal milestone arrives in Year 47; officials caution against reading anything into it.
By Wade Salmon-Creek · County Desk & Bridge Watch ·
VANCOUVER — Federal regulators have formally cleared the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program to begin “construction-related activities,” a Year 47 milestone that program staff celebrated Tuesday while cautioning the public against reading anything into it.
Officials confirmed that construction-related activities are distinct from construction, which remains distinct from pre-construction, which is itself downstream of a design phase described in program documents as “maturing.”
“This is a historic step toward steps,” a program spokesperson said at a briefing held on the Vancouver waterfront, within view of the existing bridge, which held.
The program has now outlasted eleven renderings, four governors, and the entire working career of a Hazel Dell engineer who joined the project out of college and retired in May. Reached at home, he said he felt “mostly fine.”
The bridge itself was reached for comment and did not respond, as usual.
Filed after: the Federal Highway Administration issued an amended Record of Decision allowing the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program to begin construction-related activities, July 2026. That part is real. — Ed.