"Do you support reclaiming the east bank of the Willamette River in Portland by moving, burying or removing the I-5 freeway?"

I walked over there last night.

I made the comment. If it weren't for the interstate, the city at night would be "pin drop" quite.

That would be a dream come true.

I think Portland could actually survive the traffic being redirected out over the I-205 pass too. Heck, that bridge would probably be a lot better to use than the current I-5 bridge at Vancouver.

So has anyone replied to the queries? Have any of them even stated their opinions on the matter?

I and my GF have finally become registered voters in the area so now I'm very interested in such thoughts from our political leaders.

Chris,
I think the I-5 Columbia River Crossing is the biggest transportation decision coming up. Where do candidates stand on tolls? How strong is their commitment to transit, i.e. lightrail? Are they willing to push back against the pressure from the north for more freeway auto lanes into N. Portland? Are they open to the "arterial option?" Are you on the CRC group? You should be.

Adron, we haven't sent the questionnaire yet, we're still adding questions.

Lenny, no, I'm not on the CRC group, is that an e-mail group or listserv, or a more real-world body?

I'd like to know if they support Measure 35 or not. With M 35 in place a lot of Oregon's land may open up to development or new uses without preplanned road/rail/bike/school/police/fire services, leaving the State and local authorities scrambling to catch up and footing the bill (which always leads to no or less money for existing infrastructure). Also, 2 new areas are going to be opening up in the coming years with the new highways connecting P town to the coast (Newburg/Dundee Bypass) and to the mountain (Sunrise Corridor), with these projects will there be support for a multiuse bike/ped path and room for future lightrail RoW in the budgets?

Nathan, I assume you mean Measure 37. I'll think about whether there's a way to phrase that in a transportation context.

I want to stay away from local projects unless they have statewide significance (like the Columbia Crossing) because the Governor does not have a lot of direct involvement (although ODOT certainly does).

Chris,

Just wanted to say I think these are great questions. Look forward to the responses.

Since all three Republican candidates have gone on record recently that the main problem with transportation in the Portland area is the existence of Metro and have all advocated its abolishment, ignoring that Metro is voter-approved, home rule government. Also ignoring that, according to John Charles, spending on transportation in the state has dropped from highs "in 1963-64, when we invested just over 3 percent of our state personal income on new highways. That steadily declined over subsequent decades: 1.6 percent in 1975, 1 percent in 1985, and about 0.6 percent in 2000." (Of course, the last time there was a gas tax on the ballot, it lost 88-12%).

Two questions for potential governors:

1) do you support the abolishment of the voter established, regional government in the Portland area? If you do, would you also support the abolishment of counties or cities whose policies you disagree with?

2) Would you support raising highway user fees to the levels of the 1960's (approximately $1 per gallon tax increase)?

I really like the questions listed. Here is one if not already mentioned.

With Measure 37, as it is written, being used in practice around the state: What measures should the State of Oregon take to support development not within a UGB? Who will pay for this added requirement for sewers, roads, and services?

Ray Whitford

CRC is the offical ODOT/WSDOT advisory committee, Columbia River Crossing. Rex is on it, so is Sam as well as neighborhood reps, environmental justice folks, etc. Contact Kate Deane at ODOT Region 1 to get on their notification list, etc.
It terms of costs and impacts this outweighs everything else we have been discussing of late by several orders of magnitude.

yes, I meant to say measure 37, not 35, and I understand what you mean about local projects versus statewide issues. Thanks for the response and correction.

Do you support the elimination of all tax abatements that portray a false picture of development around light rail stations, at the expense of the citizenry?

Re: "What else?"

Do you support a Columbia Crossing to the west of I-5 as an alternative?