06.28.08
Why we need a new I-5 bridge.
Most of us would agree that economic growth is a good thing. Economies grow and new jobs are created through trade in goods and services with other regions. Adequate transportation and infrastructure are vital to that interaction and trade. If you were an employer with customers in Portland, would you locate here if you couldn’t get across the bridge? If you were a shipper and your drivers wasted several hours a day stuck in traffic on the I-5 bridge, would you locate a new warehouse here in Vancouver?
Like it or not, Vancouver’s economy is highly dependent on Portland. New jobs won’t happen if people and goods can’t get from here to there more easily. The current I-5 bridge is inadequate for current needs, and it will only get worse. If we want good jobs for future generations, we need to be able to move a lot more people between here and Portland than we currently do.
Since more lanes will only relieve congestion in the short term, we need to include a public transit option to increase capacity and meet future needs. To relieve traffic congestion, pay for the bridge, and make it faster and cheaper to use mass transit, we should charge a toll on the replacement bridge. A toll is not a tax. A toll is a user fee that is paid only by people who use the bridge. People who don’t wish to pay the toll should have the option of taking mass transit instead.
Time is money. Exactly how much is it worth? That’s determined by how much people are willing to pay to avoid traffic. The toll should be set at the price where congestion is eliminated, and it should vary depending on the time of day in order to maintain a free flow of traffic.
A toll bridge with high capacity mass transit is the best way to support job growth in Vancouver for future generations. We need to build it now, while we still have federal support for the project. I read the finance chapter of the EIS and am convinced that we can pay for the bridge without increasing taxes. I fully support the recommendations of the Columbia River Task Force.
I also support expansion of the Port of Vancouver, which will add between 4,000-5,000 jobs within the next 15 years. The Port currently provides about 2,300 direct jobs, $82 million in annual tax revenue, and nearly $99 million in annual payroll income to local residents.
Don Benton is opposed to replacing the I-5 bridge, and he voted against funding infrastructure development for the Vancouver waterfront
chucksr said,
September 16, 2008 at 8:33 am
Thank you! Finally we have someone with common sense running for office, who is willing to do something about transportation and infrastructure. As transportation is my livelihood I find it a shame that commercial truck drivers have to spend many hours waiting to travel across the I-5 Bridge. The cost of fuel and the lack of improved infrastructure have caused several motor carriers in the Portland/ Vancouver metro area to go under. This is also causing higher unemployment, a burden to the economy of Washington. We need the bridge and lightrail to enhance future economic growth in Vancouver.