Letter: Remove light rail from CRC



Everyone has an opinion on the Columbia River Crossing. Do we need a wider bridge? Absolutely, but widening the bridge will not accomplish anything without widening I-5 on both sides of the bridge. That's where the congestion starts, causing backups on the bridge; it's not the bridge.

The most important question is "Do we need light rail coming to Vancouver?" No. Removal of light rail from the project would significantly reduce costs and eliminate the height issue. Height is an issue only because light rail can only go up and down a limited slope. With or without light rail, buses will remain. Commuters to Portland will continue using them because they're convenient.

Proponents of light rail say it would help Clark County's economy. How many people do you know who live in Portland and work in Clark County that would use light rail? When will the proponents of light rail get honest with us?

Let's use common sense. Build the bridge with needed improvements on I-5. Get rid of the light-rail element of this project so we can move on.

Curt Raihala