Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed an agreement Monday morning to work cooperatively to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge between their two states.

The two governors sat at a table at the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust at The Waterfront Vancouver, with the distinctive green bridge in the background, to reinvigorate the nascent process to replace the twin spans, which opened in 1917 and 1958.

“I could not be more excited about an endeavor that unites the energies of two states,” Inslee said. “And the reason is that bridges, besides being steel, are essentially monuments to optimism. And our two states are extremely optimistic. We believe in a dynamic growth-oriented future.”

The two Democratic governors were flanked by Washington Transportation Secretary Roger Millar and Oregon Department of Transportation Deputy Director Kris Strickler, who will become director upon Oregon Senate confirmation. A number of Washington legislators and officials from the city of Vancouver, C-Tran, the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, the city of Portland and Metro attended Monday’s event.

Inslee said he is optimistic this second effort will succeed, following the 2013 disintegration of the Columbia River Crossing, because of changes in the Washington Legislature and growing recognition of the existing spans’ seismic vulnerability.