FILE – In this Aug. 4, 2011, file photo, taken in Vancouver, Wash., the Interstate 5 bridge spans the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington states in Vancouver, Wash. Project planners are shutting down the offices that spent up to $170 million planning to replace the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River. The project […]

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Washington legislators are once again revisiting the idea of a new bridge over the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver.

Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, and Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, have both filed legislation to begin the process of planning a new bridge.

Pike filed House Bill 1222, which seeks to create a work group consisting of legislators from both states to discuss bridge ideas.

The group proposed by Pike’s bill would facilitate “strong public participation” to identify the “most affordable, efficient project that improves freight mobility and safety, relieves traffic congestion and meets the future needs of the region,” the legislation states.

It would consist of 8 bipartisan, bicameral legislators from Washington and Oregon who represent districts in the Columbia River region.

HB 1222 would require the work group to report its bridge recommendations to each legislature by December 1, 2018, and also provide subsequent annual updates until the project is complete.

Read the full bill below.

Wylie filed House Bill 2095, which seeks to start preliminary work to develop a process for planning an Interstate 5 bridge replacement.

She stressed that any new bridge efforts were simply the first steps in getting a project going again. She also said there will be plenty of obstacles going forward, but constituents have told her, “Go for it.”

One of her immediate goals is to free up data collected during the now dead Columbia River Crossing project from the Washington Department of Transportation.

Wylie told KOIN 6 News she’d spoken with at least 12 legislators who want to move forward with a new bridge project in some capacity, 3 Democrats and 9 Republicans.

Bridge congestion is causing Wylie’s constituents to become impatient due to increased truck traffic and the construction of a new casino north of Vancouver. A study published in May 2016 showed that commute time between Portland and Vancouver was up 300%.

Wylie said she’s working to tackle any legislative issues related to the bridge first because that’s where the problem was with prior bridge projects.

“It’s gonna take some work,” she said.

As of Sunday, both bills were still under review of the House Committee on Transportation.

Read HB 2095 below.

This legislation comes after representatives for both Gov. Jay Inslee and Gov. Kate Brown told KOIN 6 News in January there were no plans underway for the governors to discuss a new Interstate 5 bridge.

The last effort for a new bridge, the Columbia River Crossing Project, contained more than 15 years of work and saw $105 million spent. That project died in 2014.

The new bridge would have included widening part of Interstate 5, replacing the bridge and extending the MAX into Vancouver. Former Gov. Kitzhaber said a new bridge would have improved safety and decreased congestion.

To succeed, the Columbia River Crossing Project needed funding from the Oregon Legislature and a signed agreement with the state of Washington. Neither happened by the deadline of March 15, 2014.

The Interstate 5 bridge costs $1 million each year to staff the structure’s maintenance crew and an additional $1.2 million annually for repairs. Within the next decade, the bridge will require a new axle pulley that will cost up to $12 million. Engineers have said the bridge would fall into the Columbia in a large earthquake.

Officials say the last new bridge was going to cost nearly $3 billion.