Bob Ortblad
@bortblad.bsky.social
Civil Engineer, MBA 40-years P.E. & CPA Historian of 200 years of infrastructure Explored 70 countries
WSP’s (IBR’s general engineering consultant) website claims a 120-year life for its tunnel design. WSP’s “Tunnel Concept Assessment” fraudulently claims only 75 years for an I-5 Columbia River Tunnel. WSP also inflated excavation by over 4 million cubic yards, and that local shipyards are lacking.
The IBR’s “Tunnel Concept Assessment” falsely claims a costly casting basin is needed to fabricate immersed tunnel segments. Steel shell tunnel segments can be fabricated a several local shipyards. IBR also fraudulently inflated dredging & excavation by four million cubic yards.
Immersed tunnel & electric buses, a 1% alternative to light rail The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR) plans to spend $3.5 billion on light rail to Expo Center. For 1% of this cost, $35 million, electric buses could better connect Downtown. www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/lett...
The IBR has deliberately hidden the impact of bridge approaches on Vancouver & Hayden Is. No IBR graphic shows the “Ugly underbelly” of approaches. However, IBR’s general engineering consultant WSP boasts on its website, “rethinking the way commuters travel.” WSP received $116M of IBR $300M spent.
IBR’s bridge approach is an environmental disaster. An Immersed Tunnel will: Reduce noise & visual blight. Save $141 million mitigation & $390 million demolition cost. Create a park connecting Downtown with Fort Vancouver. Be safer for traffic. Be more earthquake resilient.
Rotterdam’s Blankenburg Tunnel awarded prize for construction with minimal environmental impact. (TEC) Tunnel Engineering Consultants were the engineering consultants. IBR refused to listen to a TEC expert in 2021, and fraudulently disquaified a I-5 Immersed Tunnel. www.zja.nl/en/Blankenbu...
In 2028 the IBR plans to distribute $141 million in mitigation payments to four upstream corporations but create no jobs. Applying $141 million to a $180 million immersed tunnel steel shell would create about 300 skilled jobs for three years at the same upstream corporations.
n 2021, the IBR refused to review an independent evaluation of an I-5 immersed tunnel or to listen to a world-class expert from TEC Tunnel Engineering Consultants. Citizens of Antwerp, by referendum, rejected a bridge for tunnel designed by TEC.
The Embarcadero Freeway and the Alaskan Way Viaduct were 1950’s massive mistakes. IBR’s bridge and approaches are a 1950’s design and a gigantic mistake, over four times larger than the Embarcadero or Alaskan Way.
IBR - AI Evaluation WSDOT & ODOT safety engineers have not evaluated IBR's design. The IBR's Vancouver bridge approach includes a dangerous 1,510-foot S-curve that requires a 35mph truck speed limit. A -3% grade plus frequent rain and black ice make a safe speed even lower.
Bob Ortblad believes the IBR’s proposed bridge will be more dangerous than the existing bridge. www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/lett...
Letter: Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s safety?
Bob Ortblad argues IBR's elevated S-curve approach will ice over far more often than the existing ground-level bridge.
clarkcountytoday.com
Denmark has started sinking 89 mega concrete blocks that are 712 ft. long into the Baltic Sea to build the world’s longest immersed tunnel. Only four of these blocks could span 2,800 feet of the Columbia River for an I-5 immersed tunnel.
MURRY: will you commit to publishing the Record of Decision for the IBR project no later than July 1st? DUFFY: I don’t know that I can commit to you by July 1st. www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4wH...
I'M DEMANDING ANSWERS: Calling Out Secretary Duffy for his "Great American Road Trip" Reality Show
YouTube video by Senator Patty Murray
youtube.com
www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/lett...
Letter: British Columbia’s new immersed tunnel can solve Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s $17.7 billion problem
Bob Ortblad argues that an immersed tunnel similar to a project underway in British Columbia could significantly reduce costs and impacts associated with the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.
clarkcountytoday.com
Better solution than IBR's $17 billion bridge & freeway expansion. Immersed Tunnel Link: www.cowi.com/projects/fra...
Breaking British Columbia’s worst traffic bottleneck
The Fraser River Tunnel Project is a new, eight-lane immersed tube tunnel under the Fraser River, between Richmond and Delta in the Vancouver area, British Columbia, Canada. The new tunnel will have ...
cowi.com
www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/lett...
Letter: The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s $141 million bribe can be better spent on sandwich steel-concrete tubes
Bob Ortblad argues that an immersed tunnel using sandwich steel-concrete tubes would be a more cost-effective alternative to the current Interstate Bridge Replacement Program design.
clarkcountytoday.com
My Public Comments on IBR's fraud. Hayden Island Neighborhood Network’s, Dec.5, 2022 www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRXJ... April 2024 www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpAJ... June 2024 www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7J2... March 2025 www.youtube.com/watch?v=04NK...
Hayden Island Neighborhood Network - Interstate Bridge Replacement - Tunnel Alternative - B Ortblad
YouTube video by Bob Ortblad
youtube.com
IBR engineers have teamed with Wham-O to design of giant “Slip ‘N Slide” for Vancouver’s riverfront. Cars & semi-trucks will defy physics with a daring S-curve. The 175 annual rainy/showy days and 156 potential frost days will reduce friction for wild ride down a -3% grade.
IBR continues to show its incompetence. Asked if IBR had studied moving freight off I-5 to rail and I-205. IBR claimed MAX light rail is the solution
www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/lett...
Letter: Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle makes several serious and incorrect engineering statements
Bob Ortblad critiques engineering claims by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, highlighting cost and safety advantages of an immersed tunnel for the I-5 crossing.
clarkcountytoday.com
Current I-5 Bridges with wooden piles maybe more earthquake resilient than IBR’s planned bridges with drilled shafts. IBR’s bridges will have ten times greater lateral loads, but drilled shafts have less mass and footprint than the current wooden piles that create a caisson.
IBR's Step 1 of $5.9 billion changes construction sequence to defer $488 million demolition cost. From possible: 1. Build Southbound Bridge 2. Demo current bridges 2030 3. Build Northbound Bridge To impossible: 1. Build South & Northbound Bridges 2. Demo current bridges 2035
The IBR’s public relations consultants are working overtime this weekend to spin the IBR’s new $13 to $17 billion estimate announcement. Announcement was delayed from today to Tuesday. The IBR has spent over $25 million on public relations consultants.
Bob Ortblad@bortblad.bsky.social · 5mo agoIBR’s $17 billion Estimate Panic The IBR had no “Meeting Materials” available for tomorrow’s ESG March 13, 2026 Meeting and just canceled the meeting. No Agenda No Meeting Presentation No Public Comments The IBR has rescheduled a ESG March 17, 2026 Meeting.
ODOT's Abernethy Bridge project, already well behind schedule and over budget, is falling further behind The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program has skyrocketed from about $6 billion in 2023 to more than $13 billion. www.kgw.com/article/news...
ODOT's Abernethy Bridge project, already well behind schedule and over budget, is falling further behind
The project's contractor is now offering a January 2028 completion date, ODOT officials told the Oregon Transportation Commission on Thursday.
kgw.com
