Max out?

A large percentage of students at PSU commute to school from one area or another outside of downtown—be it Beaverton, Tigard, Vancouver, etc. For those students, such as myself, who have to commute from Washington, the Columbia River Crossing has been an issue for quite some time.

If you were to ask my thoughts on the idea of extending the bridge to include light rail, I would say, why not? It would be crazy not to want to decrease the congestion that plagues the I-5 Bridge on a daily basis. It’s a view I still hold, especially after more than a year of using the public transportation system between Vancouver and downtown Portland.

Still, there are many who oppose the Columbia River Crossing project, most of which admit to never having to make the commute, ironically.

One fly in the CRC ointment is the argument that expanding the bridge will increase traffic. Let me just say here, there is also a correlation between ice-cream consumption and drowning—it does not mean that eating ice cream will cause you to drown. It’s not too far a stretch to say that, yes, in 5 years traffic will increase. So will the population, and thus the workers who commute from Washington to Oregon. 

There just might be some people who say, “Hey, now that the bridge is larger, maybe I will start driving to work.” However, I believe a greater majority will make use of the light rail system that will also be added to this bridge. The convenience and cost of public transportation is one that would greatly be appreciated by those of us who need to commute.

Another big issue is the cost, an estimated $3.1–$4.2 billion. Yes, this is definitely a huge expenditure. Nonetheless, can the cities of Vancouver and Portland afford not to do something about the bridge and the excessive congestion on it? The bridge itself is in need of major repairs anyway, and the congestion is not lessening. As Vancouver continues to grow due to cheaper housing and the suburban lifestyle that is so appealing to middle-class families, traffic will continue to grow. The cost may be a necessary evil.

The Portland/Vancouver road system is terribly ill equipped to accommodate the population. A MAX line could also up the numbers of those using public transportation, therefore contributing money to a green and local company.

Another complaint is that sustainability is arguably the biggest buzzword in Portland. If we build a larger road, surely that will force people to start driving to work in greater numbers, thus increasing the greenhouse gases that are polluting our planet! It sounds terrible, but there is just no evidence to suggest that larger roads are what cause traffic to increase.

At present, there are two bridges to get across the Columbia from Vancouver to Portland. The same number of people are going to need to get across either way—a larger bridge is simply going to get them there faster. Is it not contributing to pollution to have cars going 20 mph on the interstate, or being stopped altogether, and just sitting there running? If a MAX line is built, that is going to cut down on many drivers, as well. Who is going to spend the money and time to drive across the bridge when they can take the train and skip traffic and the rising expense of gasoline?

The bottom line is, though the Columbia River Crossing may be a large expense and is surely not as refined as it needs to be before construction begins, it is a necessary and great idea. To contribute your input to this project, whether you are for or against it, visit http://columbiarivercrossing.org for a list of public meetings.