Comments

1
The Columbian just layed off a bunch more reporters today. All reporters were expected to be at their desks from 10-3pm just in case they got a phone call to tell them they were fired...give the reporter a break will ya?
2
Ms. Williams from the Port of Portland brought up a good point, that "improvements to the interchanges in the bridge area" are 100% necessary whether or not a new bridge comes into play. Pretty much every interchange from Columbia Blvd though Mill Plain/Fourth Plain need to be improved.

But where were all these people when they started asking for input several years ago, before this particular bridge plan won out? I remember getting postcards in 2002 inviting my input as a resident of one of the affected areas, so it's not like the task force was running things on the QT.
3
Also...

Where are all these references to a 12-lane bridge coming from? The CRC taskforce recommendation is for a 6 lane bridge:

http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org/FileLibrary/MeetingMaterials/TaskForce/CRC%20TaskForceLPARecommendationResolution.pdf


"In regards to the river crossing selection, the CRC Task Force supports the construction of a replacement bridge with three through lanes northbound and southbound as the preferred option."
4
I was at this hearing for awhile. It was pretty illuminating on how our city is run. A couple of commissioners sit there like lumps, or embarrass themselves when they try to talk. Potter can't get out of their fast enough, and Adams acts like he's already running the place, throwing out a lot of "I think I speak for the Council...."

I've been annoyed reading about this issue because I figure Pdx is the only place naive enough to build a new $5 billion bridge to last 100 years, and our number one priority seems to be to LIMIT its capacity rather than increase it. This place is never never land.

But watching the show I realized that their just typical politicians after all. And after giving a bunch of soothing words to mollify the shrill bike lobby and other petulant children, they'll approve the thing in the end.


5
Blabby - nice wrap up.
6
Where's my prozac...
7
Blabby... According to the DEIS the 12 lane replacement bridge will only serve to mildly "reduce congestion" (read: displace congestion) until 2030 while INCREASING vehicle miles traveled. So we are conservatively blowing $4.2 billion to buy us 22 years of slightly reduced travel times with almost double the traffic loads. That is wasteful and dumb use of our public tax dollars and our children's future. We can do a lot better than this the lazy thinking and arguments for this freeway bridge don't win the day.
8
thanks to Amy for this comprehensive coverage.

and about the bridge... this thing is a looong way from actually breaking ground. I still think there are many many hurdles it must clear before it becomes a reality.
9
Blabby... According to the DEIS the 12 lane replacement bridge will only serve to mildly "reduce congestion" (read: displace congestion) until 2030 while INCREASING vehicle miles traveled. So we are conservatively blowing $4.2 billion to buy us 22 years of slightly reduced travel times with almost double the traffic loads. That is wasteful and dumb use of our public tax dollars and our children's future. We can do a lot better than this the lazy thinking and arguments for this freeway bridge don't win the day.

You aren't being honest. You are using this bogus argument to vote against any kind of infrastructure improvement. You are essentially saying why do anything at all? Everything we build eventually becomes outdated. To follow this logic we would have never built I-5 and continued to use Highway 99. No marquam Bridge, no Fremont bridge and certainly no I-205 bridge or an I-205 freeway at all.

The new sewer system Portland is installing will eventually be outdated. Fortunately someone with vision and resposibility acted properly to give us that welcomed project.

10
Just to be clear; the city's now given up all legally recognized authority over the future of the bridge?
11
Kyle:
> Just to be clear; the city's now given up all legally recognized authority over the future of the bridge?

It sounds like the one thing they have left is the city can deny the construction permits needed to do the project.
12
"The shrill bike lobby"? Bicycle advocates do not support this bridge even though the new bridge will almost certainly have better bike access than the current one. Why is that? Because most bikers care more for the region's future than their own self narrow interest. In this case, it's the CRC proponents who are being, if not shrill, then certainly dishonest, by saying on the one hand how the new bridge won't lead to greater vehicle miles travelled, and at the other hand, talking about the reduction in congestion.

If you want some informed commentary on this issue, you would do well to start by reading the stories posted in bikeportland.org. And, thanks, Amy, for the blow-by-blow account here. You deserve some better commenters, though.
13
I was at the council meeting yesterday, and I want everyone to know that there were many more people and groups opposed to going ahead without more research than there were for it. The media seems to have miscounted and says it was 50-50%. Most people were very adamant that this bridge needs more public opinion and study.

Those who wanted to charge forward were all from industry. Those more hesistant were community groups and students. That shows you what the priorities are on both sides.

This bridge is not built yet. Keep opposing it. They always say there's nothing we can do to stop these projects, but that's often not true.
14
I am DISGUSTED that Sam Adams wants to AGAIN spend millions of our tax dollars for another OVERSIZED PROJECT WE don't want.
As if the OHSU tram, which went from a budget of $15 million to $51 MILLION, wasn't enough to satisfy his OBSESSIVE PHALLIC DOMINATION OF OUR LANDSCAPE, he's willing to flush our hard-earned recession dollars down the toilet of toll bridges and maxi-lanes for a little-needed project pushed by BUSINESS INTERESTS.
What about the interests of our poor, our needy?
What about all the homeless who are being swept off the streets under SAM'S support, their heads KICKED and belongings destroyed??
This man is proving his priorities- he is an OPPORTUNIST-slash-CORPORATIST who DOES NOT serve the needs of our people above is own principles of power and greed.
SAM ADAMS, YOU DISGUST ME. I TAKE BACK MY VOTE AND HOPE YOU ARE INVESTIGATED FOR KICK BACKS THEY PAID YOU OFF WITH.
Whore.
15
The most shocking bit on here is from ODOT: "I see tolling as nothing more than a revenue mechanism". Apparently they haven't even considered the other advantage of tolling, namely that it will reduce traffic by persuading people to carpool. Let's put a toll in (which btw MUST be greater than the cost of a MAX ticket from Vancouver to downtown Portland for it to work), and then recalculate the projections.
16
I thought Sam Adams was on our side? Isn't that why we voted for him?


Portland council, I expect better than you. I do think that all five of you genuinely care about the environment and alternative transportation, but I felt like your votes proved on this project you've just been giving us lip service.
17
"Those who wanted to charge forward were all from industry. Those more hesistant were community groups and students."

As soon as one of these community groups or students can offer me a job that will support my family, I'll value their opinions on the new bridge more highly than I value the opinion of the Ports, unions, and industries.

Sorry to break it to you, but the average "activist" and student means well, but doesn't know much about how the world actually works. On some issues we should listen to them. On interstate commerce, there may be more knowledgable sources.
18
Look, our drawbridge on I-5 which will fall into the water during the next earthquake is an absolute joke.

This needs to be built now or else it's just going to cost more later because there will be more countries purchasing dwindling amounts of resources.

As regards peak oil, the bridge might have a couple decades where twelve lanes do indeed seem pretty pointless. It will take a few decades to convert to non-petroleum based automobile transport. It's also likely that within 20 years automobiles will be partially automated on roads like I-5, and bottlenecks will be mitigated by intelligent systems.
19
Blabby, take yourself and your scary fascist comments ELSEWHERE-

say CHINA?!

You are also the definition of a WHORE.
(no offense, but that's the truth.)
20
Recall Sam Adam's Mayorship
21
The People: "You are also the definition of a WHORE. (no offense, but that's the truth.)"

I'm not a whore. I'm a person who goes into a job every day and does work for someone else for 8 hours, because they pay me enough to make it worth my while. They can do this because they operate with a profit motive. Such people are the only reason that this town is here. There is no example of any town anywhere which continues to survive without productive industries making money. These "greedy" businesses support government, non-profits, the arts, and every other enterprise that does not make money.

Your favorite coffee shop/bike shop/record store/nursery/whatever all operate on a profit motive. All of them. If they choose to give profit to worthy causes, or use it to hirer more good folks, more power to them. But every one of them first tries to earn profit.

P.S. Riding a bike and being an advocate for "sustainability" and "equity" don't count as productive industry.
22
Blabby,
your ignorance and suppositions betray you.

Case closed.
23
Blabby, you forget that without superior weapons technology, imperialism, fraud, and institutionalized racism, all of which being rationalized by an 'infallible' holy book, these cities don't get built.

You hate peasants. It's okay, just admit that you are full of hatred for them.

You should read 10 Reasons You Should Never Get A Job by Steve Pavlina. He earns over 10K a month from writing so you would be able to respect him because you seem to admire/depend on stronger people. Maybe one day you can free yourself from enriching some assholes who don't give a shit about you or your family and would fire you in a second if it benefitted their bottom line.

Please wait...

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