Rep. John Ley: Offering “scrutiny” of light rail and the IBR proposal
The Columbian’s recent editorial urging “sober reflection” on the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) program and its light rail component falls short of the scrutiny it claims to champion. The proposed 1.83-mile extension of TriMet’s MAX Yellow Line into Vancouver, costing $2 billion or $1 billion per mile, is touted as the future. Yet it demands far greater examination.
TriMet’s Better Red per mile cost is $20 million; Seattle’s Sound Transit Lynnwood extension cost $353 million. Tel Aviv’s light rail system is $232 million; the Grand Paris Express $400 million; and Melbourne, Australia is around $340 – $393 million per mile.
TriMet claims operating and maintenance (O&M) costs for the IBR are $20.2 million annually, or $11 million per mile. This compares with C-TRAN’s $1.5 million for express buses—a 13-fold cost disparity. TriMet’s entire MAX and bus system has a 2026 O&M budget of $579 million. Sixty miles of light rail at $11 million per mile equals 113 percent of TriMet’s entire operating budget. This discrepancy screams for an audit, not a passing mention.
Safety concerns are not trivial. A 67-year-old man was murdered at a MAX stop last month, and a 63-year-old woman was raped at a Hillsboro transit stop in 2024. A University of Washington study found fentanyl and meth on every light rail vehicle tested. These are not mere “perceptions” but reflect real risks.
The financial burden is equally alarming. TriMet, facing a $1 billion annual deficit, demands new taxes from Clark County, which has rejected light rail in 1995, 2012, and 2013. Families struggling with property taxes, insurance, and groceries cannot afford to subsidize a Portland transit agency’s operation.
TriMet’s demand for 19 new vehicles at $10–$15 million each—compared to $4.5 million per vehicle for the Better Red 10-mile extension—suggests a fiscal shell game, not a sound investment.
Tolls, mentioned only fleetingly by The Columbian, are a massive concern. The IBR’s plan assumes $1.25 billion in borrowing, with tolls ranging from $1.55 to $4.70 per trip. Yet, Washington’s legislature authorized $2.5 billion, potentially doubling tolls to $9.40 per trip, or $4,700 annually for commuters. Low-income toll reductions will only increase rates for others, as Wall Street demands repayment.
Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle tells people that no major projects are built without tolls. Yet Cincinnati’s Brent Spence Bridge adds 10 toll-free lanes over the Ohio River. Why is this not mentioned?
The Columbian cites climate change as a justification. The IBR’s own Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) shows it will take 41 years to offset construction-related CO2 emissions, with most reductions coming from cleaner vehicles, not transit.
The IBR predicts 175,000–180,000 vehicles daily by 2045, a 40,000-vehicle increase, with half of rush-hour traffic crawling at 0–20 mph—worse than today. Furthermore, 46 percent of vehicles on I-5 travel at freeway speeds today, declining to 27 percent in 20 years. This is not planning for the future; it’s planning for gridlock.
C-TRAN’s express buses travel twice as fast as MAX’s 14 mph and offer flexibility that light rail cannot. With cross-river transit ridership flat and less than 1,000 daily boardings, buses meet demand at a fraction of the cost. The IBR’s projected 10-fold ridership increase by 2045 lacks credible data. TriMet’s forecasts consistently overpromise and underdeliver.
Clark County deserves a transparent debate, not platitudes about “the future.” Paying $7.5 billion for a “bridge too low” for the Coast Guard, which allocates 54 percent to transit, bikes, and pedestrians, and makes traffic congestion worse, is ridiculous. Seventy percent of people want to save time and reduce congestion, which the IBR fails to deliver.
Rep. John Ley, R-Vancouver, represents Washington’s 18th Legislative District.
As published in The Columbian
