Bob Matilla’s letter (“Bridge plan is unworkable,” Our Readers’ Views, March 21) points out the primary failure of two Interstate 5 Bridge replacement commissions. Our century-old lift bridge is the limitation that our region developed around. We cannot replace it any higher due to air traffic nor closer to the water due to river traffic. No engineering can change our history.
The only feasible alternative for I-5 is tunneling underneath the Columbia. Tunnels take traffic under the English Channel, fjords in Norway, and Sydney Harbor. Keep the existing bridges for hazmat, bike lanes, mass transit, and pedestrians. Buy a two-lane borer, start at Fourth Plain, return at Jantzen Beach. Then take two lanes to the airport and connect to I-84. If the borer is still working, then the community can look at bypassing the bottleneck at Delta Park.
Expensive? Cost overruns? Tolling issues? Yes, to be expected, but throwing money into meetings and plans that ignore the reality is getting us nowhere. Are there seismic issues? Yes, but unlike our 107-year history of development, these issues can be resolved with good engineering.
