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Letter: Rose Quarter fix should come first

By John Ley, CAMAS
Published: May 24, 2017, 6:00am

Oregon recently gained attention by proposing an $8.4 billion transportation package. A $450 million Rose Quarter “fix” was included. We know this two-mile, two-lane section of I-5 is the real bottleneck for traffic congestion and freight mobility.

But after digging into the details, they are proposing to add zero new through lanes to I-5 at the Rose Quarter. It’s an expensive “non-fix.”

They’ll add/extend “auxiliary lanes” for merging and widen shoulders, while building two “lids” across the top of I-5. But, sadly, Oregon refuses to add any new through lanes to I-5.

Transportation architect Kevin Peterson told our community that one or two additional lanes are needed at the Rose Quarter. Without any new lanes at the Rose Quarter, money spent upgrading or replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge will deliver negligible results. He called it the “elephant in the room.” The Columbia River Crossing demonstrated that fact by delivering only a one-minute improvement in the morning, southbound commute.

We recently built a new on/off- ramp to I-205 at 18th Street for $40 million. These two new one-mile lanes improved traffic flow very inexpensively. Oregon needs to address the Rose Quarter mess with new through lanes before we talk about “fixing” the Interstate 5 Bridge.

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