Thursday, July 25, 2013

Revisiting the bridge location issue.

Replacing the I-5 Bridge is a non-starter as long as that replacement wastes billions by accomplishing nothing in the realm of increasing freight mobility or decreasing congestion.  The bogus loot rail scam will likely kill it permanently.

That leaves us with the viable (on this side of the river, anyway; Oregonian petulance will likely kill off any other plan) alternatives of an East County Bridge or a West County Bridge.

Initially, I was 100% in favor of a West County Bridge.  I viewed such a project as the way to do the most to relieve the pressure on the I-5 Bridge and corridor.

Now, I'm not so sure.

Commissioner Madore's plan of a bridge off 192nd in east county has some advantages that I had overlooked when making my observation that a West County Bridge had to be added to the mix.

The main issues are that a corridor of some sort would have to be developed for a West County alternative, while an East County bridge would not have that problem, per se'.  A direct connection from 14 to I-84 would likely be a quicker, cheaper alternative.

That said, of course pressure needs to be taken off the I-5 corridor.  But the question becomes one of what I refer to as "doability."

A review of the map indicates that a 192nd/I84 connection would be much shorter/cheaper than an I-5/Hiway 26 route.

That is not to say that a West Side Bridge option should be ignored.  But the likelihood that Oregon would approve such a move is virtually none.  In fact, no other option besides the CRC Scam is likely to gain approval  from the childish punks trying to rip us off on their loot rail scam.

A shorter route for a cross-river project if the local communities on the Oregon side of the river support such a move would have a better chance of success.  Unfortunately, I've concluded that at this time, a West County Bridge would likely have none.

Time will tell, of course, but you already know the likelihood of the same punks who screwed us last time peeling themselves off their idiocy is between slim... and none.

For that reason, I've come to conclude that the East County option is the most viable of a series of unlikely possibilities, given the Soviet Socialist Republics of Vancouver's/Oregon's petulance and arrogance.

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