About that bridge

Yesterday’s Vancouver Columbian carried a report of Mayor Royce Pollard’s State of the City speech, in which he advocated for putting light rail on the new $2 billion bridge which is coming down the pike like a triple-trailer in the fast lane. The on-line comments are interesting. Apparently meth dealers are dependent on rapid mass-transit, who knew? I especially enjoyed the comment that there is no need to put light rail to downtown Vancouver because there’s nothing there. See my post this morning on Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Update 7:45 p.m.: The Oregonian, in a similar report today, says there were 55,000 Clark County residents paying a total of $121m in Oregon income tax in 2004, i.e., average tax paid = $2,200. For Vancouver residents working in Oregon who feel they are owed a new bridge: the cost at $2b for 55,000 commuters coming south is $36,364 per cross-state taxpayer.