"Design group far from consensus?" How about a more accurate, more relevant headline, like:
"New bridge? Community far from consensus."
Last week, Lou Brancaccio acknowledged his failure to cover the opposition.
I'm not here to say we always get it right. We try to ask the tough questions and hold folks accountable. Something else to consider, there isn't always "equal" opposition on issues. So we often hear "why didn't you quote the other side?" There isn't always another side. If you take school bonds and levies for example there usually is a very organized side in favor of them. Not so much on the other side. So it's not always easy to find the other side. And it's even more difficult to find equal numbers on the other side. There may be hundreds of folks mobilized on the pro side of a school bond. You might be lucky to find one or two on the other side.I don't know... somehow the phrase "disingenuous" doesn't quite cover it.
ZERO coverage of the opposition is to infer that no opposition exists. Month after month of doing nothing to determine the opposition when, for example, Commissioner Tom Mielke and Senator Don Benton's opposition to this crap is well known.
Hundreds of people from a wide variety of locations on the political spectrum met a couple of weeks ago to protest this massive waste. This one meeting of pro-bridge leg humpers received more coverage.
Bias plays a MASSIVE part in this drama. Saying you CAN'T find opposition when clearly, you've made no effort to LOOK for it, is the quintessential cop out.
Arrogance plays the rest, in that many Federal officials who should know have told these morons that there's no money for their grand designs. Clearly, they're incapable of listening to ANYONE who doesn't share their bizarre vision.
The worthlessness of the article, below, is that the idiots behind this monstrosity are arguing over a crap pile that faces long odds of ever seeing the light of day and that those who are forced to use it do not want.
Without community support, it doesn't matter what this bridge looks like. If it ever is built, it will reflect a governmental tyranny that is a full-blown stain on democracy.
If, as I devoutly hope, no shovel of dirt is EVER turned on this steaming heap, then these morons will have wasted $100 MILLION plus.
But since it ain't their money... do you think they'll give a damn?
Local News
Design group far from consensus
Saturday, April 18 12:06 a.m.
One
of the proposed design features for the I-5 bridge, a path for
pedestrians and cyclists on a deck underneath a freeway span, was a bone
of contention at Friday’s meeting. (Touchstone Architects/Columbia
River Crossing)
There wasn't much to be found.
Portland Mayor Sam Adams, co-chairman of the Urban Design Advisory Group, said he wants to consider placing cyclists and pedestrians on a path at road level, not tucked underneath one of the two freeways spans.
Several others said they didn't care for the work to date and wanted to be more involved in the design process.
Current planning has focused on two "stacked" bridges, with light-rail tracks under the southbound freeway span and a "world-class" bicycle-pedestrian path under the northbound bridge.
Projections indicate that as many as 1,000 pedestrians and 5,000 cyclists could use the path during a nice summer day in the year 2030.
But Adams said having the path underneath a bridge "was not even close to a world-class option."
Ron Anderson, consultant project manager for the Columbia River Crossing, said placing cyclists and pedestrians next to freeway traffic creates "a very mean environment: road spray conditions, noise, dirt."
Adams said a bicycle-pedestrian path could be separated from freeway traffic to create a pleasant environment.
Mark Masciarotte, who represents the Vancouver Aviation Advisory Committee on the design group, said he would much rather be walking or riding underneath the bridge during the Northwest's rainy weather.
"For six months of the year, it is not pleasant up on that upper deck," he said.
"So we're going to bike to the bridge to get out of the rain?" Adams replied.
"I might get to the point where I can support this," Adams said, "but I get really concerned about a process that leads us to here without looking at other options."
Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard, the design group's other co-chairman, said the bistate panel previously expressed a preference for a stacked option.
"Sometimes I'm not sure what the hell 'world-class' means," Pollard added.
"World-class also means looking at the options," Adams said.
Bridge planners have turned to a stacked design to reduce costs and minimize the project's footprint and eliminate having a third bridge for light-rail trains, pedestrians and cyclists.
But there also are concerns that a stacked option would isolate cyclists and pedestrians and heighten worries about safety and crime, which in turn could discourage use.
Bridge planners say they might be able to place bicycle-pedestrian paths at road level, depending on how much separation would be required from freeway lanes and how wide each path would be.
Peg Johnson, who represents the Jantzen Beach Moorage Association Inc., mentioned the possibility that an underneath path could provide a refuge for homeless people.
"To me, this is a place for people to throw down their newspapers and sleep," she said.
Several group members, most notably Carrie Schilling of Works Partnership Architecture in Portland, said they wanted to be more closely involved as the design work moves ahead.
Adams, noting that "I've got a lot of controversial projects on my plate," said he likes quite a bit of bridge architect Bradley Touchstone's work.
But the Portland mayor, who last week suggested the team that designed a planned light rail-bicycle-pedestrian bridge over the Willamette River might take a crack at the I-5 project, stopped far short of embracing Touchstone's work.
"I've seen Bradley's designs for bridges," he said. "I don't think we've gotten the best out of his yet."
Portland officials have long called for an asymmetrical design that provides for an architectural statement across Portland Harbor, connecting Hayden Island to the rest of the city.
Because of the close proximity of Pearson Field on the Washington side, bridge engineers have little room to play with to make a structure high enough to prevent traffic-choking bridge lifts but low enough not to substantially interfere with the airspace designated for Pearson traffic.
Adams indicated that adding architectural flourishes to the main bridge won't be enough.
"I've stated from the very beginning I wouldn't be bought off with great lighting," he said. "I wouldn't be bought off with mosaics and gargoyles."
Johnson said she believe designers are paying too much attention to where the bridge touches down as the "iconic focal point."
"I like you guys a lot, but I'm not impressed with your bridge," she said.
It was all a bit much too much for Dick Pokornowski, who represents the Vancouver City Center Redevelopment Authority.
"I think at some point we have to move ahead," Pokornowski said. "Right now, I think we're going back. I'm very frustrated."
Jeffrey Mize: 360-735-4542 or jeff.mize@columbian.com.
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