CRC Pushes 11,000 Cars to I-205
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Letter to the Editor:
Your editorial on the proposed Columbia River Crossing neatly avoids a few dark facts ("Telling the truth on tolling," Aug. 3).
Little attention has been paid to the 11,000 cars that will be diverted to Interstate 205 daily from tolling the CRC. This increase will bring more air pollution and congestion to the neighborhoods near Interstate 205, decreasing safety, health and air quality in East Portland and Clackamas County.
Diverting traffic off Interstate 5 only to see it increase in other
areas of the region is not a solution to the congestion problem.
Secondly, a larger bridge will exacerbate the bottleneck near the Rose Quarter as Interstate 5 funnels from the CRC into four lanes. Will we then need to widen Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter? At what cost?
If we don't widen it, how will the resulting gridlock impact existing neighborhoods and businesses? Sadly, the CRC appears to be causing more problems than it solves.
LESLIE CARLSON
Southeast Portland
Carlson is co-chair of the Portland-Multnomah County Sustainable Development Commission
Flabby City, Fit City