Chris, you forgot to close the blockquote tag for the CRC notice, which is altering the layout of the entire site.

Most of the traffic problems are caused by people going to work in Portland and outlying areas of Portland. I have yet to see any mention of express lanes, with no entrances, just exits, starting on the WA side, and ending south of Portland,and vice versa.

Having these express lanes would move traffic past downtown, easing up a lot of the traffic problems associated with the downtown area.

One other way to help ease the traffic mess that is currently happening is let the semi tractor and trailers use the carpool lanes. It takes a while for 60,000lbs of cargo to get moving again after being stuck in traffic, whereas most cars and pickups can get back up to freeway speed a lot faster.

Simple solutions are out there, but with the taxpayers money to spend, time will tell if the commission will waste the money or do the job correctly. Also, plan for the next 75 to 100 years down the road, as this area will be growing more and more.

Having these express lanes would move traffic past downtown, easing up a lot of the traffic problems associated with the downtown area.

I think the traffic studies show the majority of the traffic across the bridge is going to the Columbia Corridor, Rivergate etc. It doesn't get past Delta Park. There aren't many trips from Clark County going beyond downtown.

I think the primary need for express lanes is for people who live in North and Northeast Portland who are trying to get to locations beyond downtown and can't get on the freeway because of the Washington traffic. That problem will really get exacerbated when Delta Park is widened.

Ross W., for 14-years I commuted into Portland from Vancouver on I-5 and most of the time went across the Freemont Bridge into NW Portland and what you are suggesting is completely wrong, 80%+ of the vehicles in the AM Peak Period travel to points past Rivergate and BIA exits.

I have the latest (Oct. 2005) vehicle counts done and certified by the David Evans Tranportation consultants and they show that you are very wrong in your preceptions. Not to point a finger at you or anyone else because I make just as many mistakes as anyone.

have the latest (Oct. 2005) vehicle counts

Vehicle counts do not show the starting and end points of trips.

According to the CRC web site link over a third of the trips across the bridge start or end within the "bridge influence area" which does not appear to include the Columbia Corridor, Lombard or Portland Avenue. Nor does it include trips to Swan Island, Lloyd Center or downtown Portland. These would be "regional trips".

You may be right, that it is not a majority of trips before Lombard. But it is still a relatively small number of trips that would be served with some kind of bypass of north/northeast Portland neighborhoods.

There is a real danger that in its obsession with transit, Portland will sit by while these neighborhoods' auto access to regional business centers is sacrificed to Clark County commuters. Improving transit service is important, but its also important to realize that many trips in the region depend on automobiles.

There are a lot of households where one person drives to work and the other uses transit or alternatives. You don't want to drive those families out of the neighborhoods with transit because the one using the car can't get to work in a reasonable fashion. Nor do you want to drive out businesses because they can't get to their customers efficiently.

And, frankly, its just not fair to sacrifice these neighborhoods access to the freeway for the benefit of the Clark County exurbs. And tell the folks who chose to live in North and northeast Portland, close to their jobs, that they should use the bus so they don't delay their Clark County co-worker's commute.

We will see when the Delta/Lombard project is done how the ramp meters in N. Portland work and the degree to which access to I-5 is restricted.
I have explicited requested that freight be provided with ramp meter bypass lanes at Columbia, Going & Greeley southound, to insure that I-5 remains an option for freight out of Columbia corridor and Swan Island. I guess N. Portland residents will have to make due with MLK and Interstate since the congestion now held back by the Slough bridge narrowing will ooze down into the heart of N. Portland. All this "improvement" for just $100M.
I still can't figure out how bringing another 20-40K vehicles over the Columbia River on a new bridge into Portland improves our quality of life, economy or anything else.