While the Oregon Department of Transportation would like to replace the Isthmus Slough bridge and realign the intersection of Coos River Highway and U.S. Highway 101, the $100 million estimated for the cost is nowhere to be found. Monday, ODOT bridge crews did some more repairs on the timber structure in the bottom of the photo. -World Photo by Lou Sennick

COOS BAY — It has been eight years since parts of the Isthmus Slough bridge fell from their moorings. More than four years have passed since load restrictions were imposed on vehicles crossing the span. Yet state funding for a new bridge is still five to 10 years away, officials said. In the meantime and despite the perception, Oregon Department of Transportation bridge inspectors consider the bridge to be structurally sound.

Still, some progress is being made.

ODOT staff have spent several years developing a concept for a new bridge to connect U.S. Highway 101 with the east side of the Isthmus Slough. An environmental assessment is currently under way to determine the impacts of constructing a new, 100-foot-high bridge south of the existing one.

The project, which would include a realignment of the intersection of Coos River Highway and Highway 101, has a cost estimate of about $100 million.

As of Thursday, the state has set aside nothing beyond paying for the environmental assessment. At a Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee meeting, Mark Usselman, ODOT’s Southwestern Oregon area manager, said it is unlikely funding will come until the middle of the next decade, if then.

He noted that ODOT is considering plans to build a third crossing of the Columbia River, a project estimated to cost between $3 billion and $5 billion. There also are projects in the Rogue Valley, the Interstate 5 corridor and a proposal to build a bridge crossing the Willamette River in Salem.

“We are going to be in the same line competing for those funds as these projects,” Usselman said.

He explained that while weight restrictions have been placed on the Isthmus Slough bridge — 20,000 pounds for single axles, 34,000 for tandems and a maximum of 80,000 — it is still considered structurally sound by ODOT.

“That bridge, structurally, is in good shape right now,” he said. “Will it be functional in six months? I don’t know.”

Even if bridge inspectors find more structural problems, ODOT could allocate funding for repairs, not replacement.

Given the uncertainty, Usselman said local residents should speak with state and federal officials and lobby for more funding.

Andy Nasburg, a local Realtor, said he could only see the project moving forward with the help of a federal earmark.

“We need another ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’ except this bridge would go somewhere,” he said, alluding to an infamous earmark obtained by Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Others concurred with this view, though John Whitty, a local attorney, thought a solution could come from increasing the state’s gas tax.

“Why people are opposed to a gas tax is a mystery to me,” he said. “It’s the best deal you can get anywhere,” considering the system of roads that are maintained with the money.

Coos County Commissioner Kevin Stufflebean agreed with the need to lobby for federal assistance. He said he has heard talk about scrapping plans to  bump state transportation funding in 2009. Legislators have pointed to the  failure of Measure 50, a proposal to tax cigarettes, which was roundly defeated by voters in 2007.

Usselman noted that funding might be more readily available if local agencies are willing to pay a portion of the cost. He noted that the city of Medford provided about $10 million for a new interchange there.

“So if the county came to us with $50 million ...” he said — before being drowned out in laughter.

Nasburg said he thought it was a good idea for cities and the county to pass resolutions encouraging local legislatures to pass funding for transportation. He also said the county might look at proposing a gas tax to help pay for road improvements.

Stufflebean said the county looked at the idea, but considered it impractical once the city of North Bend decided not to pursue it. He also noted that a gas tax would not bring in a significant amount of funding, citing the disappointing returns produced in Coquille, which instituted a 3-cent tax last summer.

Although funding to build a new bridge is lacking, ODOT is nearing completion of its environmental assessment of the project. Mark Leedom, ODOT project leader in Region 3, said assessment reports should be completed by late spring or early summer. The documents will then be made available for public reading and comments.

Once the project receives funding, it should take about three to four years to construct the bridge, Usselman said. Getting the public to view the issue as a priority is the next step.

“People don’t realize how many problems there are in the (road) system,” he said. “I don’t hear a lot of people complaining about it.”