Comments on: Opinion: Will light rail’s problems sink the I-5 Columbia River Bridge Replacement project? https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-will-light-rails-problems-sink-the-i-5-columbia-river-bridge-replacement-project/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=opinion-will-light-rails-problems-sink-the-i-5-columbia-river-bridge-replacement-project Your News Source with Integrity Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:05:41 +0000 hourly 1 By: JimK https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-will-light-rails-problems-sink-the-i-5-columbia-river-bridge-replacement-project/#comment-43943 Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:05:41 +0000 https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/?p=178146#comment-43943 It should remembered that this was originally a light rail project that was to run up to Salmon creek beside I5 and that most (all?) of the overpasses would need to be modified (replaced) to get space of the rail line, (see METRO map at: http://www.no-tolls.com/portland_plan.html)

Since those overpasses could be dealt with later as ordinbary highway expenses, there is no reason to put them in this project EXCEPT TO SHIFT LIGHT MONEY TO THE HIGHWAY SIDE OF THINGS TO JUSTIFY HIGHER TOLLS.

Higher tolls adds to the local money put into this project and, at one tim (and probably still) was to be the justification to persuade the Federal government to forgo the local match for the light rail (also known as the crime train, a toy train).

Removing 1.8 billion rail and i-5 interchange/overpass costs and UNNEEDED Hayden Island rebuild (opposed by most residents) should get the cost back down to an affordable, TOLL FREE 1 Billion.

As many peopl say:

JUST BUILD THE DAMN BRIDGE NOW!!!

THEN BUILD A SECOND AND THIRD NEW ONE AT LOCATIONS ALREADY STUDIED FOR DECADES.
ALL FOR LESS MONEY THAN THE CURRENT, SOON TO INCREASE ESTIMATE FOR ONE BRIDGE PLUS CRIME TRAIN AND MANY FRILLS.

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