In response to Julie Rosenstein’s letter, “Light rail wrong for I-5 Bridge,” where she states that “light rail is going to destroy river commerce” (Our Readers’ Views, May 5), I asked the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program for the facts about light rail’s impact on river commerce.
Turns out Julie’s information is 100 percent wrong. It’s just another tired red herring promoted by the anti-light rail crowd. Here’s what the IBR program team said about the issue:
“Light rail is not the reason the IBR program is pursuing the current proposed bridge height. A combination of multiple factors contributes to limitations on the bridge height, including protected air space; providing access/connections to SR-14 and downtown Vancouver and Hayden Island; as well as providing appropriate grades for all transportation modes, including freight and active transportation.”
Not only does light rail have zero impact on river commerce, it will in fact create some efficiencies, the team said in its email response.
