Letters continue to appear in The Columbian concerning the replacement of the Columbia River bridge.
Gov. Jay Inslee, in a May 9 story, “Inslee to Senate: No probe of CRC,” actually confirms the need for an additional bridge when stating, “Each year, $41 billion worth of freight crosses the bridge moving goods up and down the West Coast. … This is predicted to increase to $71 billion by 2030. Growing congestion in the corridor threatens truck movement with consequences for our region’s economic ties to trade.” The quote by the governor regarding congestion illustrates I-5 is currently over-congested. The 2030 date is only 17 years away, and any increase in freight will escalate congestion each year.
Vehicle traffic routed to a third bridge would remove much of the I-5 congestion. This current CRC project will not solve the congestion. Build a third bridge now to relieve congestion for the next 17 years and beyond.
Inslee states that he is committed to helping the one percent of river users negatively impacted; at taxpayers expense, no doubt. Inslee’s comments clearly emphasize the need for a third bridge.
