We need 2 new bridges, not light rail

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I just read the snippet written by Darrin Opdycke featured in last week’s “Internet to Ink” on the opinion page about “light rail” to Portlandia. I agree with him completely on this matter. Crushing the taxpayers with the costs of linking Clark County to Oregon via “light rail,” on top of having Oregon control the entire transportation system, is the definition of insanity. The only things Darrin left out were the stabbings, shootings, muggings, and other unsavory activities that a linked system with Portlandia would enrich us with.

Most people forget that another interesting aspect of a linked “light rail” system would be that this would be interstate transportation which would bring in the Feds and all of their bureaucracies on top of dealing with Oregon’s bureaucracies, and the bureaucracy that would have to be created in Washington to “enhance” all of the wonderous “benefits” this system would bring to us. 

It would be far smarter to build two new bridges: one near Camas to cross the river and connect to I-84, and another built northwest of the current railroad swing bridge. The current I-5 bridge is in good shape and with diligent maintenance should last 50 years or more. 



An even better idea would be to build a monorail transportation system running from Vancouver, up the I-5 corridor to Seattle. Just a thought.

Lastly, everybody with eyes to see and ears to hear knows that Washington isn’t the congestion problem. It’s Oregon, with their antiquated road system, parochial speed limits, and control-freak mentality.