Buttigieg visits interstate highway bridge in Pacific Northwest slated for seismic replacement

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday visited the century-old Interstate 5 bridge that connects Portland, Oregon, with southwest Washington state, a vital but earthquake-vulnerable structure that's set to be replaced as part of a multibillion-dollar project supported by federal funding.

The bridge carries more than 130,000 vehicles a day across the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver, Washington, according to regional transportation agencies. It's a key component of I-5, which runs the length of the West Coast.

Seismologists say the Pacific Northwest is at risk of a severe earthquake — magnitude 9 or greater — that could destroy significant parts of the region. The aging bridge, which opened in 1917, is at risk of collapse in a major quake, which could kill many people and sever a crucial transportation link in such an emergency. Plans to replace the bridge have been in the works for decades.

The bridge, the first automobile span to cross the Columbia River, became part of I-5 in 1957. A second span opened the next year.