I-5 bridge performance audit

AN ACT Relating to a performance audit of the interstate bridge 1
replacement project replacing the Interstate 5 bridge over the 2
Columbia river; creating a new section; and providing an expiration 3
date. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) By December 1, 2027, the joint 6
legislative audit and review committee must conduct a performance 7
audit of the interstate bridge replacement project replacing the 8
Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia river. The audit must include 9
the following components:10
(a) Financial transparency and reporting by: 11
(i) Assessing whether project financial reporting complies with 12
state and federal reporting requirements; 13
(ii) Comparing the project's financial disclosures against 14
benchmarks from similar megaprojects to determine best practices in 15
cost reporting and public accessibility; 16
(b) Expenditure review and accountability, which includes, but is 17
not limited to: 18
(i) Analyzing how funding has been allocated and spent since the 19
project restart in 2019, comparing actual expenditures against 20
initial funding plans and subsequent legislative approvals;21
H-3073.3
HOUSE BILL 2669
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Ley, Chase, Jacobsen, Orcutt, and Barkis
Read first time 01/26/26. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
p. 1 HB 2669
(ii) Analyzing the contract with the general engineering 1
consultant, including all supplements, and assessing the general 2
engineering consultant's overhead and any other source of profit 3
compared to other large transportation projects including, but not 4
limited to, the Brent Spence bridge between Kentucky and Ohio; the 5
Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland; the I-10 Calcasieu river bridge in 6
Louisiana; the Alligator river bridge in North Carolina; and other 7
large transportation projects in the Pacific Northwest;8
(iii) Reviewing all supplements to the contract with the general 9
engineering consultant, where compensation increased by a factor of 10
six, yet the deliverables under the contract remained the same, 11
including obtaining a record of decision from the federal government, 12
which has yet to occur; 13
(iv) Identifying major cost overruns and reviewing supporting 14
explanations; 15
(v) Reviewing the sample of payments to non-Washington agencies;16
(vi) Reviewing processes to address potential conflicts of 17
interest; 18
(c) Forecasting, data use, and decision making by:19
(i) Assessing the reliability of traffic, ridership, and 20
potential toll revenue projections; 21
(ii) Reviewing forecasting process against industry best 22
practices and similar projects; 23
(iii) Evaluating the efficacy of the proposed design in meeting 24
the top goal of reducing traffic congestion and saving people time;25
(iv) Evaluating the cost effectiveness of each component of the 26
project in terms of delivering a return on investment for established 27
transportation goals; 28
(v) Evaluating the consideration of alternative transportation 29
options, such as bus rapid transit, in the forecasting process;30
(d) Oversight and internal controls, including:31
(i) Reviewing the Washington state department of transportation's 32
financial oversight and auditing mechanisms for the project, 33
comparing them to best practices in financial accountability and risk 34
management; 35
(ii) Examining prior audit findings related to the project and 36
determining whether corrective actions were implemented.37
(2) The joint legislative audit and review committee may contract 38
for expertise in transportation infrastructure, financial management, 39
or project auditing and shall submit a final report on its audit 40
p. 2 HB 2669
findings to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1
1, 2027. 2
(3) This section expires December 31, 2027. 3
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p. 3 HB 2669