Possible solution to Washington-Oregon transportation problem

According to a 2015 report from the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation council, 294,000 vehicles cross the I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington every day. And anyone who regularly crosses the interstate bridges knows that the current infrastructure is simply inadequate.

Transportation between Oregon and Washington has been a long standing issue that seems to take one step forward and two steps back, as one generation of politicians starts a plan only to have it shuttered by the next. The congestion near the interstate crossing has become a safety issue, emergency vehicles are severely impeded by the nearly solid mass of cars that occupy the freeway during rush hour.

Transportation solutions stand on shaky ground as Oregonians feel that their tax dollars should not go toward a project that is mainly in service of Washington residents. While Washington residents are opposed to their tax dollars funding Oregon’s infrastructure.

Southwest Washington’s Congressional candidate David McDevitt has written extensively on Vancouver’s transportation issue. McDevitt suggests creating an entity similar to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The PANYNJ consists of six representatives from each state appointed by their respective governors. The Port Authority is funded independently for the sole purpose of infrastructure; relying primarily on its own sources of revenue as well as its own line of credit. New York and New Jersey have had immense success with this system. Implementing it here would ensure that any toll-based solution directly benefits the people who pay for it.