I have read numerous articles in The Columbian in recent years regarding the I-5 Bridge replacement conundrum. I think the simple, obvious, fiscally responsible solution which has long been staring us in the face is to restructure the nearby railroad bridge (“I-5 drawbridge delays were nearly dodged,” The Columbian, Nov. 10, 2010) so the drawbridge will have to be raised a fraction of the number of times it currently is, and then replace the current lift span/drawbridge that has three lanes in each direction with a new lift span (I personally say “no” to a bascule bridge) that has four lanes (plus a shoulder lane?) in each direction, without light rail.
Lift spans work. Buses work. We don’t need the tremendous additional cost of light rail. We do need to be allowed to own and drive gasoline, hybrid and/or electric cars. And we need traffic enforcement, not narrower streets.
