Cost, Funding & Economic Benefits

What is the Construction Economic Impact Analysis (EIA)?

The EIA conveys the return on investment the region will receive from construction of the IBR program. An EIA focuses on how construction expenditures ripple through the local economy, generating multiplied impacts. The EIA measures overall gross economic impacts of IBR construction spending including employment, job earnings and the value of additional economic activity in dollars. IBR program cost estimates in year of expenditure dollars were used to calculate direct economic impacts. The IBR EIA will be updated as scope and cost estimates continue to be refined. For more information on the analysis process used, read the Construction Economic Impact Analysis.

The dollars invested in the IBR program will have positive impacts within our communities, including:

• Direct Impacts: Spending resulting in employment and earnings for construction workers, engineers and designers.
• Indirect Impacts: Economic activities resulting from purchases made by regional firms who supply, or receive, direct expenditures.
• Tertiary Impacts: Economic activities spurned by regional spending, such as increased labor earnings for employees of local businesses, and goods and services purchased to provide that employment.

The total gross employment impacts of 43,300 person-year jobs during program delivery are expected to peak in 2030 at over 8,000 person-year jobs, with nearly 3,500 directly involved in construction. Approximately 18,700 of those person-year jobs will be construction and professional services jobs directly engaged in delivering the IBR program.

How will Tolling Details be Determined? 

Tolling for the IBR program is anticipated to include variable priced tolling with the goal of funding construction and facility operations and maintenance. Tolling will also improve reliability when travelers skip optional trips, choose other routes, modes of travel and time of travel.

Toll and policies for the IBR Program will be jointly set by the Oregon and Washington Transportation Commissions to support the toll funding amount identified in the program’s financial plan. In early 2024, both commissions approved an agreement that stands up an I-5 bridge bi-state tolling subcommittee. The subcommittee is made up of two commissioners from each state and will jointly recommend toll rates and policies, including potential discounts, to each state’s respective full Commissions.

In late 2024, the Oregon and Washington Transportation Commissions approved four toll rate scenarios to be studied in the next round of tolling analysis (referred to as a level 3 ‘investment grade’ toll traffic and revenue analysis) to confirm we can meet funding targets:

• Toll rates ranging from $1.55 to $4.70 per trip
• Truck toll rate multipliers ranging from 1.5x to 4x 
• Low-income toll program with a 50% discount for registered individuals at or below the 200% federal poverty level

These scenarios do not identify final toll rates or policies but moves them forward for additional analysis. Once the analysis of these scenarios occurs, the number of toll scenarios will be reduced and made available for public review and comment. The commissions are anticipated to adopt toll rates about 8 months before tolling is estimated to begin on the facility. The earliest tolling is currently anticipated to start on the Interstate Bridge is in spring 2027.