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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This week, we begin 10 consecutive days of voting on hundreds of bills on the House floor until we reach the 5 p.m. deadline for House of Origin cutoff on March 12. By then, we will have a much better idea of which bills have a chance to become law and which ones are dead for this session. I will update you on the biggest storylines as we move forward, but I wanted to tell you about a new bill I introduced last week.
Holding Government Accountable
In an effort to promote transparency and accountability in the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Project, I introduced House Bill 2030, which would mandate the joint legislative audit and review committee to conduct a study analyzing the financial oversight of the IBR project. I introduced this bill because we need to know where the money for this project is going. Based on reports from a privately hired forensic accountant, the previous bridge replacement effort—the failed Columbia River Crossing project—was full of waste, fraud, and abuse of the taxpayers’ trust.
The I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Project’s cost continues to grow, and we need to know where that money is going. Here’s one example: our 1.8-mile extension will require 19 new railcars at up to $15 million each. Last year, the 10-mile extension to Beaverton only required 4 new cars at allegedly $4.5 million each. It sounds like Washington would be paying triple the price for new cars for Portland’s entire yellow line, not just the extension.
Multiple Southwest Washington municipalities oppose using light rail as part of the new bridge. Washington should not be paying to expand or improve Oregon’s light rail system. This bill would ensure that the money spent to replace the bridge is accounted for. You can read more about this bill by clicking here or by watching a video about it by clicking on the image below.
I also recently wrote an article for Clark County Today about this issue. You can read that article by clicking on the link below:
TriMet’s need for Clark County funds questioned – Clark County Today
We need new vehicle capacity. That can be added to an existing or new transportation corridor. The 2008 Regional Transportation Council identified the need for two new transportation corridors and bridges over the Columbia River. Portland has a dozen bridges over the Willamette River; we need more than two bridges over the Columbia River.
One of the horrible realities of the current proposal is that after spending at least $7.5 billion on the IBR, morning travel times from Vancouver to the Fremont Bridge will DOUBLE. The IBR predicts that the journey will take 60 minutes for that journey in 2045. Furthermore, they expect HALF of rush hour traffic to go from zero to 20 miles per hour.
People’s top priority is to save time and reduce traffic congestion. This current proposal does neither. Therefore, we must start a fresh discussion and create a legitimate “solution” that actually serves the people and their desire to save travel time and reduce traffic congestion.
Stay in Touch
If you want to share your ideas and input regarding the bridge replacement project or any other issue with state government, please reach out to me using the contact information below.
It’s an honor to serve you.
Sincerely,
John Ley
