The project dates back to 2005 with approval of the federal
Transportation Equity Act of 2005 which dedicated $5 million to the project. The preliminary design was approved by the
Portland City Council on December 3, 2008. It was originally to be an
extradosed-type bridge. In the first round of bidding, the project exceeded the allotted budget, and consequently needed to be rescaled. This in turn delayed the timeline and led to a simpler design. After undergoing technical engineering design and detailed neighborhood impact assessment, the refined project was opened to bidding in autumn 2010, and the city council awarded a $6.7 million construction contract to Wildish Standard Paving Company of
Eugene. The overall budget, originally anticipated to be between $7 million and $11.3 million, is expected to be met mostly by federal funds, with ten percent local funding. The $11.3 million congressional allotment may have been to also pay for a study to improve access to the
Ross Island Bridge. Eastbound traffic for the bridge frequently clogs the Lair Hill neighborhood while waiting to merge. Mayor
Sam Adams has said that whatever funds are left over from the Gibbs Bridge project can be used for studying the Ross Island auto-access problem. ==Description, usage==