Bob Ortblad says $60 million of greenwashing may fall millions short
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
The city of Vancouver and WSDOT are celebrating USDOT’s $30 million grant to build a lid over a short length of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s freeway expansion. The IBR has committed an additional $30 million. However, $60 million of greenwashing may fall millions short. The Rose Quarter’s Lid is estimated to cost over $100 million/acre. A Vancouver 3-acre Lid at Evergreen Boulevard could cost $300 million. Will the City of Vancouver and WSDOT be stuck with a $240 million balance?
A costly 400-foot-long lid design was canceled by the Columbia River Crossing. A lid will be an ineffective fig leaf covering only 3% of the 2.5-mile-long Vancouver freeway expansion. The lid will do little to mitigate the devastation to Downtown Vancouver and Fort Vancouver from four expanded interchanges and 12 acres of elevated freeway. The Vancouver City Council should visit Seattle’s South Jackson Street 4-acre I-5 underpass and see its environmental and social impacts.
The IBR fraudulently disqualified an immersed tunnel alternative design that would provide a lid about two hundred yards of I-5 on both riverbanks and provide waterfront parks.
Bob Ortblad MSCE, MBA
Seattle, WA
Also read:
- Opinion: Hidden costs, withheld documents, and a $17 billion question – Why the Interstate Bridge Replacement demands immediate oversight
Gary Clark argues that withheld documents, rising cost estimates, and rejected alternatives show the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program requires immediate independent oversight. - Opinion: The IBR’s $10-$12 billion funding problem and lack of truthfulness
Rep. John Ley argues that escalating costs, funding shortfalls, and withheld information have undermined public and legislative confidence in the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. - POLL: With updated estimates reaching as high as $17.7 billion, what should happen to the I-5 Bridge replacement project?
A new poll asks readers how the I-5 Bridge replacement project should proceed amid higher cost estimates and questions about transparency within the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. - Opinion: ‘The IBR team has been lying to us and thanks to a veteran Oregon journalist, we have the smoking gun’
Ken Vance argues newly obtained documents show Interstate Bridge Replacement staff withheld updated cost estimates from lawmakers and the public. - Oregon Gov. Kotek calls for repeal of transportation funding package she championed
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is urging lawmakers to repeal a transportation funding package she previously supported after a referendum effort halted key tax increases.
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