Chief
01-03-2008, 07:35 AM
Via E-mail...
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Edgar
To : steve.stuart@clark.wa.gov ; BettySue.Morris@co.clark.wa.us ; Marc.Boldt@clark.wa.gov
Cc: Distribution
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 12:21 PM
Subject: RE: address of the report: Bi-State Compact trumps state law and federal law.
Ladies and gentlemen, this email and the enclosed PDF Sheila Martin report are eye openers. Having lived in Vancouver for 15-years and raised in Portland and now living in Clackamas County provides me with a true Bi-State experience and view to our many shared problems and opportunities.
In the recommendations coming from the Sheila Martin report are (page 38) for an effort to 'Create a Pilot Project' where Bi-State understandings, with leadership of the Clark County Commission pushes forward identifying the 'Corridors of Future'. This is a need that is more then just a ground swell. The possible results of new corridors and their impacts are far greater then what has been offered by Dean Lookingbill with his enclosed statements. In fact some of his assessments of the possible impacts are in my opinion, disingenuous. I say that because of his many previous statements and about his support of only, the CRC Project.
I would like for you to ponder the swapping of priority of fixing the Bi-State problem with first just changing the identification of the I-5 corridor to the I-205 corridor and with it all of the priorities and funding options. I-5 corridor cannot be fixed through Portland, there is just not enough money and political will on the Oregon side of the river. It is a 2 and 3-lane capacity corridor with critical choke points and safety impediments that cannot be eliminated in and through Portland.
Every effort should be taken to re-direct as much truck traffic as possible away from the I-5 corridor with the creation of new corridors and by making the I-205 corridor the primary Bi-State freight corridor through our region. This would have far greater impacts then those most often reflected. This would result in significant new opportunities to create greater industrial and job development in Clark County. That would be a win - win!
HCTLRT Transit can have only minor successes, if any in solving the Peak Period Rush Hour commute problems of the I-5 corridor. Its a ribbon on rail that does not take enough people from their homes to their jobs. Tri-Met does not have the will and resources to solve their problems. The impact of HCT stated by the CRC Task Force of 15% is again disingenuous. When people fudge figures like the CRC Task Force has done, I think of the statement of someone 'Being partially Pregnant'.
With the proposed plans of the CRC Task Force, freight mobility in and trough Portland will be brought to a dead stop and the I-5 corridor and any new wide CRC Bridge complex will become a very large parking lot spilling out even worse emissions and damage to the environment. The only way you can could stop or eliminate that problem with this proposed CRC complex bridge and how it would induce more traffic into the I-5 corridor, would be for them to throw on these very high tolls and use regressive TDM methods to push users to other alternatives. Why not build an alternatives like a Bi-State Multi-Mode freight, transit and vehicle corridor to the west and double the capacity of I-205 and just fix the reasonable to fix problems of the I-5 that make sense.
Lets keep all of this simple, the I-5 corridor is BROKEN! Building a new CRC Interstate Bridge Complex with more then doubling the current capacity of the existing I-5 Interstate Bridges without the $15-Billion to $20-Billion funding to make a dent in increasing the capacity of the existing I-5 corridor through Portland would be just stupid. In adding to this stupidity the plan to put tolls on both the I-5 and I-205 Bridges to fund this CRC Bridge that may have to be as much as $6.00 each way would truly hurt Clark County and its citizens and we all know it.
Be careful, they what to take away your authority and give it to people who are not elected and responsible to the citizenry.
Paul Edgar
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Edgar
To : steve.stuart@clark.wa.gov ; BettySue.Morris@co.clark.wa.us ; Marc.Boldt@clark.wa.gov
Cc: Distribution
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 12:21 PM
Subject: RE: address of the report: Bi-State Compact trumps state law and federal law.
Ladies and gentlemen, this email and the enclosed PDF Sheila Martin report are eye openers. Having lived in Vancouver for 15-years and raised in Portland and now living in Clackamas County provides me with a true Bi-State experience and view to our many shared problems and opportunities.
In the recommendations coming from the Sheila Martin report are (page 38) for an effort to 'Create a Pilot Project' where Bi-State understandings, with leadership of the Clark County Commission pushes forward identifying the 'Corridors of Future'. This is a need that is more then just a ground swell. The possible results of new corridors and their impacts are far greater then what has been offered by Dean Lookingbill with his enclosed statements. In fact some of his assessments of the possible impacts are in my opinion, disingenuous. I say that because of his many previous statements and about his support of only, the CRC Project.
I would like for you to ponder the swapping of priority of fixing the Bi-State problem with first just changing the identification of the I-5 corridor to the I-205 corridor and with it all of the priorities and funding options. I-5 corridor cannot be fixed through Portland, there is just not enough money and political will on the Oregon side of the river. It is a 2 and 3-lane capacity corridor with critical choke points and safety impediments that cannot be eliminated in and through Portland.
Every effort should be taken to re-direct as much truck traffic as possible away from the I-5 corridor with the creation of new corridors and by making the I-205 corridor the primary Bi-State freight corridor through our region. This would have far greater impacts then those most often reflected. This would result in significant new opportunities to create greater industrial and job development in Clark County. That would be a win - win!
HCTLRT Transit can have only minor successes, if any in solving the Peak Period Rush Hour commute problems of the I-5 corridor. Its a ribbon on rail that does not take enough people from their homes to their jobs. Tri-Met does not have the will and resources to solve their problems. The impact of HCT stated by the CRC Task Force of 15% is again disingenuous. When people fudge figures like the CRC Task Force has done, I think of the statement of someone 'Being partially Pregnant'.
With the proposed plans of the CRC Task Force, freight mobility in and trough Portland will be brought to a dead stop and the I-5 corridor and any new wide CRC Bridge complex will become a very large parking lot spilling out even worse emissions and damage to the environment. The only way you can could stop or eliminate that problem with this proposed CRC complex bridge and how it would induce more traffic into the I-5 corridor, would be for them to throw on these very high tolls and use regressive TDM methods to push users to other alternatives. Why not build an alternatives like a Bi-State Multi-Mode freight, transit and vehicle corridor to the west and double the capacity of I-205 and just fix the reasonable to fix problems of the I-5 that make sense.
Lets keep all of this simple, the I-5 corridor is BROKEN! Building a new CRC Interstate Bridge Complex with more then doubling the current capacity of the existing I-5 Interstate Bridges without the $15-Billion to $20-Billion funding to make a dent in increasing the capacity of the existing I-5 corridor through Portland would be just stupid. In adding to this stupidity the plan to put tolls on both the I-5 and I-205 Bridges to fund this CRC Bridge that may have to be as much as $6.00 each way would truly hurt Clark County and its citizens and we all know it.
Be careful, they what to take away your authority and give it to people who are not elected and responsible to the citizenry.
Paul Edgar