Iconic Clark County journalist Marvin Case offers his insight into the battle to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge

Marvin Case 
for Clark County Today

Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance argues that a third bridge over the Columbia River should be a higher priority than rebuilding the existing I-5 structures, and if that is not feasible, then the expensive light rail component should be replaced with bus rapid transit. 

Vance might as well save his breath, ink and arguments. The fix has been in for years. 

Those of us opposing light rail on I-5 have explained our reasoning over and over. Above all, it would be very, very expensive. Every time a rider got on and paid a fare of $1 or $5 or so, taxpayers would fork over many times that amount, maybe $30 or more. That’s a guess. I haven’t seen any actual calculations recently. 

Despite the cost, light rail from Vancouver to downtown Portland is a slow go. Once a rider travels from Vancouver to the Expo Center in Portland, it’s another 30 minutes to downtown Portland due in part to the many stops on Interstate Avenue. Add 10-15 minutes to get from downtown Vancouver to the Expo Center and you have a 45 minute travel time. Compare that to the current C-Tran bus schedule which takes travelers from downtown Vancouver to downtown Portland in 24-31 minutes. That would be even faster with a dedicated bus lane on a new bridge. 

There are also arguments about TriMet debt. In addition to the annual maintenance and operations costs that Clark County residents would be stuck with, how much existing TriMet debt would they shoulder as well? 

So the discussion becomes: why do proponents favor a costly and slower mode of transportation? Public officials and others who favor light rail despite high cost and inconvenience should explain their reasoning. Yes, there would be many jobs during construction. Is that the reason? Why should we have to guess at such important matters? Would the Vancouver mayor be willing to send a column to Mr. Vance and other area media to explain her reasoning? What about Clark County councilors? Would they go on the record with their arguments? 

I agree with Editor Vance on one thing for sure: a third bridge is a much higher priority than rebuilding the existing I-5 structures where justification focuses only on the vague notion that the bridges would not withstand a major earthquake. Fact is, I often travel across the bridge. Delays are not on the bridge. Delays are due to all the merging traffic before and after the bridge. Once drivers reach the bridge northbound, it’s clear sailing. The same cannot be said for southbound traffic which faces enormous delays getting through Portland — delays that would not be mitigated by a new bridge. Those planning a new bridge need to tell the public about estimated travel times with and without replacing the existing structures. 

The current arguments about the removal of Michelle Belkot from the C-Tran board are only symptomatic of the larger problem: the fix is in. Major issues such as expensive light rail will be decided by un-elected bureaucrats who think they know best. Would officials be willing to put this whole mess to a vote of the people? 

Marvin Case may be reached at marvincase@msn.com.