Cheers: To safer Washington highways. Truck-related deaths in our state fell from 58 in 2008 to 29 last year, and have been trending lower this year. Remembering, of course, that one is too many, 2009 was the best year since 1950 for traffic deaths both in Washington and nationwide. Credit safer trucks, better drivers, careful inspectors, more seat belt use, and even the recession for taking some traffic off our highways, but it is a trend we hope will continue.
Jeers: To a too-close-to-the-limit lift of the Interstate 5 Bridge on Thursday morning. The lift to allow a tug and barge to pass was completed at 6:29 a.m., a single minute before the deadline. It took nearly three hours for traffic to recover on a foggy morning, likely making hundreds of people late for work or their appointments. Though we admit boats were here long before automobiles, the state transportation agencies should look into seeking an expanded waiver from the general rule that river traffic has the priority.
Cheers: To a planned $10 million expansion at the Maryhill Museum of Art. Perched high above the Columbia River on a windswept hill, the former estate has long captured attention of travelers in and near the Columbia River Gorge. The expansion, to be completed by March 2012, will add 25,000 square feet to what is already a worthwhile visitor attraction in the most unexpected of locations. Approximately $2 million remains to be raised.
Jeers: To the county’s declaration of a fee holiday for specific kinds of business developments. No one doubts we need the jobs, but the commissioners approved this deal without knowing what it will cost, or how the county will recoup the cost of processing the permits. The waiver will be in place until Dec. 30, 2011 and covers development in specific areas, such as along Highway 99 in Hazel Dell or near the Clark County Fairgrounds.
