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Thursday, March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

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Letter: Viaducts divide communities

The Columbian
Published: March 28, 2015, 12:00am

First there was the Columbia River Crossing, a bridge that tried to be all things to all people and only ended up upsetting everyone in every way.

Then there was the political nonsense of the east side bridge perpetrated by the arrogant ignorant in elected office.

Now the latest idea is to build a fly-over highway miles long through north Portland and Vancouver. This idea is 1950s thinking reminiscent of the ill-conceived early interstate highway construction. Elevated highways divide and destroy communities.

The solution starts with a few simple things.

First, a new bridge will have a lift span to accommodate only the tallest 4 percent of boat traffic (the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C., is a draw bridge carrying Interstate 95). The bridge will be low so as not to be overwhelming. There will be three through lanes and one exit lane in each direction. It will carry pedestrian and bike traffic, but no light rail. It will be built around the current bridges in stages to minimize costs and impacts. And its form will be driven by how it enhances the quality of life.

This is all brought to you by a bridge engineer with 31 years of experience from across the country and still actively practicing.

Joe Krajewski

Vancouver

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