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| Proposed corridor would attract traffic off of I-5 to a new
corridor, creating a third bridge with local access to Vancouver, Jantzen
Beach and Portland.
Who benefits? Everyone For commuter BIC create a direct access into our industrial are where thousands work, can provide commuters with a fast new way to travel to work. A new bridge provides the opportunity to travel to work by auto, transit, bike pedestrian and possibly commuter rail. For freight movement BIC, creates a direct access into our Ports and our industrial areas. Currently a majority of Vancouver WA. and Portland OR. industrial areas and ports are land locked by water or neighborhoods. A new direct access into our industrial areas and making a continuous corridor removes the 18 wheelers off neighborhoods streets and out of retail areas. |
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Why More Capacity? When you look at your WATCH instead of your WALLET when you leave your home, congestion is damaging the economy and ruling your life. Over 3 million hour of traffic delays annually in the Portland area, just on I-5. Over a BILLION dollars lost annually in congestion in Oregon and 6 BILLION in Washington. The I-5 BI-StateTrade and Transportation Task Force findings where that there is a need for more capacity over the Columbia River. I-5 Trade Portland/Vancouver I-5 Corridor Freight Feasiblity and Needs Assessment Study Corridor Study finding where our congestion damages the economy of 17 states. One of our largest industries is transporting imports and exports goods, congestion is bad for business, the economy, the environment, and livability. The more direct access in and out of our Ports and industrial areas, the less products cost the more businesses we can attract. Why a New Corridor? Because the I-5 corridor is to capacity and "There is physicallly no room for addditional lanes in the corridor" Concerning the conditon of the Interstate Bridge I-5 Columbia River Crossing "Both of the bridges are STRUCTURELLY SUFFICIENT and meet ALL OF THE REQUIRMENTS" "The best that can be done on the I-5 corridor is to remove the bottlenecks. In order to allow for traffic free flow it would require that additional lanes be added." "There is physicallly no room for addditional lanes in the corridor" ( Don Wagner, Admisnistrator, Southwest Region, WADOT 10/20&21/2004)(From page 17 of http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/commission/AgendasMinutes/minutes/2004/Oct20.pdf) Newspaper Articles Group detours on I-5 plan - Oregonian August 18,2005 To ease road congestion, officials tackle rail tie-ups - Oregonian, July 1, 2005 (190k PDF) SELLING THE 'NORTHWEST PASSAGE' - Columbian March 1, 2002 All sides agree a new bridge needs to be built - Oregonian, July 11,2001 INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR PLAN NEARS COMPLETION, Columbian, May 23, 2002
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