It appears that the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program administrator, Mr. Johnson, and the advocate quoted in the article, Ms. Zivarts, might benefit from a reminder that the letter “I” in “I-5 Bridge” stands for interstate (“Interstate Bridge Replacement Program officials want span that’s attractive to cyclists, walkers, those using wheelchairs,” The Columbian, May 23).
President Eisenhower’s administration had five goals in mind when proposing the Interstate Highway System: 1. Improving safety, 2. Reducing congestion, 3. Reducing civil lawsuits related to traffic accidents, 4. Improving the economy by making truck travel more efficient, and 5. Strengthening national defense by making it easier for large military forces and vehicles to move quickly about the country.
If the current cultural climate of emotional decision-making could be overcome, and if reason could be allowed to reassert itself in this bridge planning process, we might once again be able to accept the fact that the purpose of the Interstate Highway System is not to promote inclusivity or make it easier for people in wheelchairs to move about. Mr. Johnson, as mean and heartless as it may sound, and although it may make us all feel bad, such things should be an afterthought in this conversation.
