Riding the Rails

By Evan Kramer

Thanks to opposition from Democrats in Oregon as well as Republicans and Republican NIMBY’s in Washington State opposed to the Columbia River Crossing, the project is now defunct. The “crime train” as it was derisively called won’t run from downtown Portland to Vancouver. We’ll just wait now until the bridge suffers a major failure. I wrote State Senator Jeff Kruse about this issue but received no response. So many of the people we elect don’t have time for constituency. I’m an advocate of all forms of transportation and enjoy driving around in my burgundy Mercury Marquis, riding my bicycle, riding the light rail lines in Portland and, of course, taking a walk though it was better with Honeybear. I once took a trip on Amtrak from LA to Philadelphia and then New York City and then rode the subways and elevated trains all over. It doesn’t get any better.

Hello Senator Kruse,

We wrote sometime last year during the legislative session though I can’t find the e-mails I sent or received. My issue then and now are transportation matters. I was very disappointed that you and others in our legislature, and the Washington legislature as well, didn’t support the Columbia River Project new bridge.

By doing nothing it only puts the burden on people down the road 5, 10 or more years from now. The bridge will eventually have to be replaced and with a rapid transit MAX line included. That’s my opinion.

Isn’t the Oregon legislature a little embarrassed or angry that our state spent some $150 million planning a project that collapsed without any benefit. Can we the taxpayers have a refund?

I had hoped you would write about this issue and also the horrible cost overruns in the Highway 20 project east of Newport. Plus why does ODOT keep restoring and upgrading older bridges like the one in North Bend and the Gold Beach bridge instead of rebuilding them to modern standards with two lanes of traffic in each direction. We spent over $60 million dollars on the McCullough Bridge and we still end up with a narrow two lane bridge with no bike lanes. There’s something wrong with this picture. Please address transportation issues in one your newsletters in the future. We’ve heard enough about the Second Amendment and gun control, etc. People have other things on their mind. I appreciate your newsletters even if I don’t agree with all your positions.

Thank you and hope you are having a good year with your wonderful farm.

Evan Kramer