And now, a few words to Clark County elected officials

Every elected official and many loot rail supporters have received this letter from Sen. Don Benton (R-17) who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee.

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2/13/09

Dear Board Member,

I am writing to you today to ask that you reconsider your position, and that of your organization, and join the growing group of community leaders opposing the monumental waste of precious tax dollars proposed to bring a light rail line in to Clark County. I am writing to you specifically because in the past your organization has joined the Transportation Alliance to promote the Columbia River Crossing project as the top priority for the county. With all of the pressing transportation needs in Clark County I believe it is irresponsible to claim that the CRC project is the top priority for our county. Clark County Commissioners have recently refused to allow the county to join the alliance this year because of the absurdity of this position (making the CRC the top priority).

I believe that once people understand that unless the entire I-5 corridor (Wilsonville to Ridgefield) adds capacity (more lanes) it really doesn’t matter what you do to the bridge. In other words, a ten, or even a twenty, lane bridge won’t help if it only meets three lanes on each side of the river. In addition, all available facts on light rail in America indicate that it will never move more than 3% of daily trips. Light rail is clearly not the answer to cross river congestion.

Last year when I met with the Transportation Alliance in Olympia, I shared my grave concern for the enormous cost and excessive tolls on this project. I also discussed how every other transportation project in Clark County will suffer for years to come if we commit billions in resources to the CRC. I am enclosing some of the facts that I shared with the group in our meeting about the ineffectiveness of light rail and particularly, the MAX line’s inability to deliver on budget and to even come close to ridership projections.

I have consistently been an avid, involved, and effective crusader for all major Clark County transportation projects for the fourteen years I have served on transportation committees in the legislature. Our successes have been many, from the Mill Plain Extension project back in 1995, the 192nd Avenue/SR 14 interchange, the widening of SR 14, the Mill Plain/205 fly over exit (currently under construction), the interchange at 134th /I-5/205 and the just completed I-5/219th interchange in Battle Ground just to name a few.

As you may know, I have been instrumental in not only obtaining funding for these projects and many others during difficult times, but have also been effective in moving right of way and construction timelines up significantly on several projects. I was very involved in getting the Thurston/Van Mall/SR 500 overpass project included as a pilot project to evaluate the effectiveness of the design/build process in Washington State. The success of this project resulted in the adoption of a new law and a standard statewide policy on this tax and construction time saving concept.

I have naturally gone to bat for the whole community, and not just my legislative district on these important transportation projects that bring great benefit to the entire county and region. This is the first time I have felt this level of frustration and angst about supporting a transportation project in Clark County.

My frustration with the Columbia River Crossing project is because I cannot support a project that I know will not benefit the majority of Clark County citizens. The reason for this is clear; it simply, no matter how badly we would like it to, will not increase capacity in the corridor and therefore will not reduce cross river congestion

There are two primary reasons I have taken this position. The first is because I firmly believe that an additional bridge (third bridge) rather than the replacement of the I-5 bridge will do considerably more to help relieve interstate congestion and mobility (not only now but especially into the future) than replacing the I-5 bridge will ever accomplish. Remember, the I-5 corridor on both sides of the bridge is full with no capacity improvements planned!

The second is the incessant and continual insistence by many that the replacement bridge must accommodate light rail which will dramatically increase the cost to taxpayers not only for construction of the bridge but also for on-going operational cost, thus impeding, slowing, and possibly eliminating the planning and future funding of the third bridge option. Not to mention that the citizens of Clark County have already voted down light rail.

There IS A LIMIT to the revenue streams available whether they are gas tax, tolls or other sources. This project is especially frustrating when the addition of light rail brings literally no additional benefit to the taxpayer. None!
This is a fact that can be easily confirmed by examining any or all light rail systems constructed in America in the last 15 years and more especially by examining the record of broken promises made by the promoters of the Portland Max system. Rapid bus service is considerably more flexible in meeting changing needs, more compatible with additional road capacity, and much less costly to the taxpayer.

As long as light rail remains a part of the Columbia River Crossing project or until I can be convinced of the cost/benefit ratio to the taxpayer of bringing a light rail line in to Clark County, the Columbia River Crossing project will not, cannot, receive the aggressive support I have given to every other major transportation project since my election to the legislature. I cannot and will not betray the trust the taxpayers have placed in me to use their resources wisely to actually solve problems.

Light rail, based on my many years of transportation policy experience and easily accessible independent research material (which is plentiful), will not now, or in the foreseeable future, reduce congestion on Interstate 5. It is a fact that the overwhelming majority of light rail riders come from busses, not cars.

As a community leader and as a member of the Transportation Alliance I hope you will do your own independent research and begin to speak out against the false promises of light rail. When we begin to reject, with a united voice, the ridiculous waste of taxpayer’s money on proposals that we know will not work, then we can move forward with a united voice to quickly and successfully work on the funding of real solutions that will actually reduce congestion time and taxpayer cost. These solutions include proven concepts such as the building of additional roads, adding new corridors and capacity, the third bridge option and a regional ring road. These are real solutions that will bring measurable relief now and many, many years in to the future.

Again, I ask you and your board to join me and your Clark County Commissioners in rejecting the notion that the Columbia River Crossing project is the top priority for Clark County. I look forward to continuing to work with you and your colleagues to bring forward solutions that work for Clark County taxpayers. Please call me if there is ever anything I can do for you in the future.

Sincerely,

Don Benton
STATE SENATOR
Seventeenth District