Trimess

Saturday, June 11, 2011

New TriMet Bridge too short for many boats

Mary Fetsch Here!

http://www.kgw.com/video/featured-videos/New-TriMet-bridge-will-be-too-short-for-many-boats-123669924.html

6 comments:

J said...

Refitting the Portland Spirit to fit under the bridge is going to be costly. TriMet is going to foot the bill, of course... Because that's really the sort of thing we should be spending money on!!

Al M said...

As long as the money is spent on business interests and not on people then they have it

Jason McHuff said...

The guy in the video gave a quote of $500,000 for two boats, and they said it would cost millions more and create other issues to have a higher bridge. It comes down to what's least expensive.

Likewise, some of the Interstate Bridge openings are for a barge crane. An official wondered whether they should just buy a second crane for use on the other side instead of building a bridge that it can fit under without lifting.

Erik H. said...

Funny how TriMet didn't realize LONG-ESTABLISHED maritime law...

Just like the WES fiasco of conveniently forgetting who owned the railroad, this will cost TriMet dearly. And who's going to pay for it? Surely, not the MAX riders...

I'm sure that "the economy" or "rising diesel prices" will be the code-word...

TriMet should have never bothered with the new bridge, and used the existing, already-retrofitted-for-light rail Hawthorne Bridge.

Jason McHuff said...

Funny how TriMet didn't realize LONG-ESTABLISHED maritime law...

What evidence do you have that shows that? What I've read and seen shows that TriMet has done much research and discussion on clearances below the bridge, and came to a conclusion on what options were best and could pass muster.

used the existing, already-retrofitted-for-light rail Hawthorne Bridge.

-Would not expand river crossing capacity.

-Would (probably) decrease capacity for other modes on the Hawthorne Bridge

-Would subject the line to the many, many bridge lifts on the Hawthorne (I'm pretty sure it's the lowest one around; the planned one will not open at all)

-Would not allow the line to serve PSU

-Would not allow the line to serve South Waterfront and, moreover, connection to Marquam Hill

-Would not give buses an alternative to the congested Ross Island Bridge approaches

-Would not be as good a route for the streetcar loop

Max said...

The new bridge is going to be higher than the current Sellwood bridge; so what's the big deal?

Also, this guy is complaining about a boat he's thinking he might want to buy; not a boat that he currently owns.

Does it make sense to spend millions of dollars redesigning a bridge for one wealthy guy who might in the future purchase a boat that will not fit 2% of the time?

What about the people in wheelchairs who will be cut off if the bridge is raised? I'm sure there's more than one real live person in that crowd (rather than Mr. "possibly maybe in the future I might be inconvenienced for 3 miles 2% of the time").

This is much ado about nothing.