I'm not disagreeing with you about how old the interstate bridge is and how it won't stay standing in event of the "big one". And you are also right about how great Max is. It's fucking awesome! It's quite, fast, easy to get on and off of. What's not to like? But the problem is we can't afford anymore Max. When it was just the original eastside and westside max lines we had the best transit system in the US. Now after the clackamas town center extension, the airport extension, the WES train, a trolley that pretty much does nothing and the new Max line being built to Milwaukie, Tri-Met is having serious financial difficulties. They keep cutting bus service, not because no one is riding the buses, because you can't cut all the other rail stuff. The cold hard reality is it's a lot cheaper to operate buses than it is build rail lines. Right now in this economy it makes sense to build a new bridge but leave light rail out of it. Vancouver doesn't want it. Oregon and Washington can't afford it. Hundred of millions of dollars per mile for a train that the community it's suppose to serve doesn't want it just doesn't make sense.
The streetcar was beyond stupid. You can quite literally out-walk it getting from place to place in downtown and it's utterly worthless for commuting. As for light rail being part of the CRC plan, maybe the economics and politics are against it, but bond rates are never going to get any cheaper down the line, construction costs aren't going to get cheaper and fuel and energy aren't going to suddenly become more abundant (and cheaper) the farther we go past peak oil. Rail isn't going to solve everything, but if growth projections for the Portland Metro area hold, then Vancouver residents are going to need more than just a wider bridge to alleviate congestion (especially since the Rose Quarter bottleneck is nearly intractable). In any case, with or without light rail, that bridge needs to be replaced for safety reasons alone.
Oregon's state treasurer says the revenue numbers from tolls don't add up. No one in the state legislature will listen. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oreg...f/2013/03/ted_wheeler_weighs_in_on_the_c.html
The "Columbia Crossing" is a project that needs to die. It does not solve any problems and it does cost a whale of a lot. barfo
10 seconds after posting that, someone was trying to sell me a bridge. When I clicked the banner ad above, it went here. http://adq.nextag.com/buyer/dyad/ur...m&t=ag=693894538&adcr%253Dkw_ps_728x90_h50113
It's where the beavers are. I cannot visit the board more often, the warden limits my time on the the computer. I can make you a nice license plate if you want? barfo
