Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, has burned any and all bridges when it comes to starting a new dialogue about the construction of a new Interstate 5 Bridge. She did that when she did everything in her power to kill the last bridge project and its funding strictly for political reasons. Millions of taxpayer money was wasted because she and others refused to work with Columbia River Crossing planners.
I did appreciate her getting $100,000 to start the conversation again, along with Democrat Rep. Sharon Wylie, but then it became obvious that Pike did not have any credibility to start this conversation when Oregon officials showed no interest in working with Pike.
We still need to solve this Interstate 5 Bridge crisis. Pike is the wrong person to start this conversation. Let’s get a true bipartisan team of local and state leaders from Oregon and Washington together and build this bridge along with light rail.
Gale Beagle
Vancouver