As reported in Willamette Week, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler has some tough questions about the idea of an Oregon-only Columbia River Crossing project.
In a letter (PDF) to project maven Patricia McCaig, Wheeler lists the questions the project needs to answer in short order.
Is this a shot across the bow as the Governor is considering a special session of the legislature that might address the CRC among other topics?
10 responses to “Wheeler Explodes CRC Magical Thinking”
Thanks for sharing. It is reassuring to know that we have at least one trustworthy person in state-wide office- Mr. Wheeler.
I am deeply disturbed by Kitzhaber’s support for McCaig. To draw a salary from the state and David Evans and Associates at the same time is highly unethical. I note that David Evans and the consultants make money whenever a project is under consideration- the company has no vested interest in the project actually coming to fruition.
I don’t want to be too suspicious- but if you follow the money, McCaig has a personal financial stake in the state spending money on exploring
a revised CRC.
I have publicly called for McCaig’s resignation.
How in the world can Patricia McCaig remain in office after having been challenged to resign by that well-known paragon of public accountability, Oregon Mamacita? Surely the public must be howling for John Kitzhaber’s impeachment.
I expect the tearful announcement that he has chosen to spend more time with his family momentarily.
Thanks for the snark, Anadakos. You add so much to the debate. So- what’s your defense of McCaig?
Anandakos, that was a particularly unproductive way to make a point. Please keep it civil.
I have no defense of McCaig; she seems like a slime-ball to me, too. But I don’t give a rip that you or anybody else except some important Oregon politician has “called for her resignation”.
It’s really kind of puffed up to refer to your own declamations on something. That was the point of the snark.
I only mentioned another public declaration because
some things should be done in the open. When you
ask a real live human being to resign a post she
has obviously made a big investment in, it should not be done lightly.
Doesn’t take much cajones to call her a “slime ball” and never take a public stand.
Wow and my thanks to Wheeler for a Document 2 Save and get all learned-up about in sum way er uther… Best of luck conspiring against the public wishes and for a fair understanding, as most still don’t see just how or why the double-deck idea went all haywire against Oregon best interests. Hayden Island 7- ramp truck bottleneck,noise? Wide cross-street intersections, worse traffic? BNSF spurs on WHI impede routine river RR crossing! UPRR, Amtrak, P&W, all others, even BNSF operations suffer. Concept#1 for Dummies has to be one of their kick-start options. Oregon COULD do ONE, 5-lane south-only bridge with a BRT/LRT/Ped Companion span.
Expo-Janz bridge 1st Phase.
BNSF Lift Span necessary 1st Phase.
BRT reaches VancouvMall 1st phase.
BRT has the advantage over LRT
=BRT wins advantage over LRT=
(Emergency Access @ Same Level)
BRT expands further, sooner, better.
Junction JanzBch LRT/BRT @ Grade. Good.
Marine Drive with Concept#1 option further consideration of 2nd Phase necessary.
Washington will come around seeing any single-deck bridge model “GEMSTONE”, yours truly, amend design as desired and actually sensible. /^:
Please REPLACE senior wsdot spokespersons. )^:
Guess what? Guess dbt? Do NOT prove me right. ^;
Its WRONG! )^;
Itsnot..toolate. }^;
I told y’all that there were not gonna let go of the federal boondoggle money without a fight.
That’s a hella lot of $$$$ that goes directly into people pockets.
Oregon thrives on this stuff.
Can’t speak for anyone but myself, however with all the unmet transportation need within the state it would make more sense to spend the funding on projects with origins and destinations within the state.
For example; yes, TriMet has “new” 3100-series buses (that are already defaced by vandals), in one night I personally rode a 3100-series bus and a 1400-series bus (early-1990s vintage). Imagine how many buses could be purchased for intra-Oregon trips (with the caveat that any accepting agency cannot make executive pay and benefit increases over the next year) so service users were served by modern buses meeting base-level-societal-norms one-hundred-percent of the time, all the time.
It’s painfully obvious that CRC is/was a powergrab so the Governor of Oregon (via TriMet) is in de facto control of transportation in Clark Co., Washington.
As for connecting Portland and Vancouver: Third Bridge Now!
Look, there is NO single-deck bridge design ready to consider, period. Wsdot’s double-deck bridge design is CRAP, but agency officials won’t admit it. Only the Marine Dr interchange and Expo-to-Janz local bridge w/MAX are shovel-ready projects. Plus, the BNSF RR bridge could have the lift span over the channel built if it weren’t for Warren Buffett being an rich idiot.