There has been much talk about the current Interstate 5 Bridge, and many seem to think that a new bridge would magically fix the traffic problems associated with commuting from Washington to Oregon or visa versa. I believe that anyone who thinks a new bridge is the answer is living in fantasy land, or perhaps has smoked too much of the cannabis that is now legal in both states.
As a person who has commuted to downtown Portland for more than 5 years in both my car and on a bicycle, I can say that the problem is not when you get to the bridge, but the lack of lanes on the Oregon side. Anyone who is a Vancouver commuter knows that the traffic speeds up when you get to the bridge. Why is that, you may ask. It is because there are four lanes in Washington, but only three on the Oregon side. In order for a new bridge to actually be a solution, Oregon also needs to invest in adding more lanes to its aged freeway system.
Randy Haas
Vancouver
