PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski urged Congress and Oregon business leaders on Monday to support a replacement for the aging Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River, saying it has become a serious bottleneck to West Coast traffic and shipping that will hurt the national economy.

“If I-5 from Seattle to San Diego were an hourglass, everyone here knows the location of the narrow hole through which the sand must pass,” Kulongoski said.

Last week, the staff of a transportation task force from Oregon and Washington state recommended replacement, which could cost $4.2 billion.

Kulongoski used his keynote address at the sixth annual Oregon leadership summit to push for the project, saying “it is a national problem that is a drag on the entire American economy” by slowing trucking and travel along the West Coast.

The bridge dates back to 1917 with an expansion completed in 1958. The task force has estimated traffic congestion could double to 13 hours a day by 2030 without any changes or improvements.

A replacement bridge is part of a transportation improvement initiative featured in the latest edition of the Oregon Business Plan, an annual guide for building the state economy launched in 2002.

“Oregon’s transportation system is in trouble — and that trouble threatens to derail our economy,” Kulongoski told hundreds of business leaders who attended the summit. “Put transportation at the top of your agenda.”

He noted that Washington state will have to pitch in for financing a new I-5 bridge, and said he has been discussing it with Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, a fellow Democrat.

But Kulongoski said Congress must help foot the bill for an interstate transportation problem that “requires a national solution.”

In opening remarks, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for increased thinning of trees on federal forests to help create more jobs, reduce costly wildfires and improve forest health.

“This is merchantable timber, and it makes undeniable sense for the environment and for Oregons economy to break the gridlock and pursue an aggressive, new focus on sustainable forestry management,” Wyden said.

Kulongoski also called for environmentally sustainable business practices, saying the state can become a world leader in “green” energy.

“The sustainability agenda I talked about last January — more renewable energy, reducing dependence on foreign oil and cutting greenhouse gases — was all about creating momentum,” Kulongoski said, noting the state already is the largest producer of photovoltaic solar cells in the nation.

The “policy playbook” issued for the sixth leadership summit said Oregon businesses can take advantage of a growing consumer awareness about products and services provided by companies that work to sustain the environment. The 65-page policy guide to business initiatives for the coming year also said Oregon could become a model for other states and countries.

“Growth in regional economies around the world is putting tremendous pressure on resources and the environment, and this growth is likely at its present rate to be unsustainable,” the policy guide said.

Kulongoski also promised to push hard to expand health care next year after voters defeated Measure 50, a proposal to raise cigarette taxes to help pay for health coverage for more than 100,000 uninsured children.

“I promise you this, Measure 50 was only the first round of a long fight,” Kulongoski said.

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