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Posted on 06/06/2008 7:53:43 AM PDT by Jack Black
Metro doesn't dismiss a Portland-to-Vancouver "mega-bridge" with up to 12 lanes
A divided Metro Council on Thursday endorsed building a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River that will extend light-rail transit into Vancouver from Portland, require tolls to cross and have room for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The 5-2 decision, after a six-hour public hearing, did not specify how many lanes the bridge should have. Rather, it established Metro's position on what may be the region's costliest public works project in a generation. Also, it rejected a proposal to back off from what critics called an unnecessary "mega-bridge" solution.
The decision provides direction to Councilor Rex Burkholder, Metro's representative on a 39-member task force that will vote June 24 on a preferred alternative for the Columbia River Crossing project.
The alternative that appears to have the greatest political backing is a bridge with three through lanes and up to three auxiliary lanes for local traffic in each direction, for a total of as many as 12 lanes. It also would carry MAX trains and have space for bicyclists and pedestrians -- and would come with an estimated price tag of as much as $4.2 billion.
Backers maintain that the current bridge -- actually two spans that are 50 and 90 years old -- is the worst traffic bottleneck on I-5. About 130,000 people a day cross the bridge.
But critics of the project contend that increasing fuel prices and growing concerns about climate change are reducing traffic on the bridge.
Last month, Metro Councilors Robert Liberty, Carl Hosticka and Carlotta Collette questioned the need for a new bridge. They suggested instituting a toll to reduce congestion and to raise money for future work. Among their suggested alternatives was a supplemental bridge that could carry light rail and preserve the existing structures.
Council President David Bragdon crafted a resolution that attempted to address the trio's concerns but made it clear that Metro backs a new bridge.
Bragdon's amended resolution, ultimately supported by Collette but opposed by Liberty and Hosticka, asked the governors of Oregon and Washington to convene an oversight panel on the project. The panel would be involved in all major decisions on planning, design, engineering, finance and construction.
The panel would help decide the number of bridge lanes, the size and design of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, and the design of a light-rail transit facility. Decisions on those issues would have to be unanimous among the panel's six member agencies.
The oversight panel would include representatives of Portland and Vancouver, the Metro Council, Southwest Washington's Regional Transportation Commission, C-Tran and TriMet.
Matthew Garrett, director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, said after the hearing that he can live with an oversight panel if the two states' governors agree. "That's just how we do business in the Portland metropolitan area," he said.
The resolution approved Thursday also calls for an independent analysis of greenhouse gas emissions and automobile demand forecasts associated with the project. Critics have argued that a bigger bridge will simply attract more traffic, adding to congestion and pollution.
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Metro's endorsement also specifies that light rail must be "irrevocably confirmed" as part of the project.
The resolution finds that replacing the I-5 bridge is a better option than building a supplemental bridge or doing nothing.
More than 40 people testified during the hearing and expressed a mix of environmental and economic concerns.
Construction worker Ty Lerud of Southeast Portland said he and his co-workers often must travel to jobs and want a faster commute.
"Just build it," he said. "Build it as fast as you can, and build it for 100 years."
Then, there is the cost. The MAX has lost money every minute of operation. It is used by some amazingly small minority of people in Portland, way under 10%.
If all the money spent on absurd elite pleasing public transportation had been invested in the roads which move 95% of the people and 100A% of the goods in our city we'd already have another bridge.
Also, Lars suggested a while ago that I-5 and I-205 simply be relabeled and through traffic directed onto the faster, emptier and better engineered new bypass road. The total distance from where they split, Sourth of McMinnville, to where they meet again, north of Vancovuer, is almost the same. That bridge already has 3 lanes.
But common sense has no place when you are crusading liberal.
Have you read “The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future” by Randal O’Toole?
This startling book deals with the disastrous results of “Government Planning”, with a lot of examples from the authors home region of the “left coast”. It’s a great read!
Isn’t Randall O’Toole from Portland?
WA Ping
What does Metro have to do with it?
Is it legal to charge tolls on a FEDERAL interstate highway?
Wouldn't toll booths create another bottleneck and eat up real estate?
What about the “greenhouse gas” and fuel burned by cars ripping out of the toll booths?
Yes. The New Jersey DOT has been doing this for years on the portion of I-95 that is part of the New Jersey Turnpike. The flip side to the coin is that they don't get nearly as much federal highway money as a result.
It’s a stupid idea.
I’d rather they leave it as is.
It’s a pain, but it’s a free pain.
Every one knows that the max will add 20% to property values wherever it goes. They told me so.
I actually think the south branch that they are building will reduce crime along 82 near clackamas because it will provide transportation for all the meth heads to go rob some of the more affluent areas.
Say WA? Evergreen State ping
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Government planning no longer takes the opinions and desires of the populace into consideration. We are living under a bureaucratic dictatorship today in the NW! So what is the populace going to do about it?
>What does Metro have to do with it?<
For one thing, Metro has taxing authority without representation, so it is unaccountable to anyone but its agenda, which is getting everyone out of their cars (control).
Another thing is Metro has to do with the light rail that’s being shoved down our throats in spite of the fact that light rail has been voted down twice in Clark County! Incidentally, Vancouver’s mayor is going along with it, too.
The key issue in this new 12 lane bridge is the wood Toll. Take the Toll word away and suddenly the billion dollar boondoggle will become a 4 lane normal highway bridge.
Ripping out of a toll booth and green house gas can be made exception for when ripping off from a toll booth is in the equation. Truly money is a root of all sorts of evil... At least in evil peoples hands.
Suffer...
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