Southwest Washington lawmakers have introduced a bill in Olympia to address the region’s most divisive topic: how to replace the 100-year-old Interstate 5 Bridge.

The measure introduced Thursday, if passed, would declare replacing the piece of aging infrastructure a project of statewide significance, a move that could expedite the permitting process and construction of a new bridge.

For more than a year, members of the local delegation met behind closed doors to hammer out a deal in an effort to revive productive dialogue surrounding the bridge.

At times, the conversations were tense. Powerful outside voices, such as former County Councilor David Madore, a proponent of a third bridge, tried to weigh in.

Some community members waited hopefully, believing the bridge bill would be introduced last week. Instead, there was more back-and-forth, language tweaks and bill drafts.