The Mid-Valley is inching closer to getting a third Salem-area bridge
across the Willamette River. Yet some people question whether that
bridge is needed. The answer remains an unequivocal yes.
A third bridge is critical to the Mid-Valley’s economic vitality.
The
Salem City Council will hold a work session Dec. 17 on the third-bridge
project, known as the Salem River Crossing. The council, working in
concert with other local governments, eventually will decide whether to
proceed with a bridge, where to build it, what to include as far
connecting streets and other infrastructure, and how to pay for it.
It
would be at least a $100 million project and conceivably closer to $800
million. “This is such a significant decision,” Salem City Manager Linda Norris said Friday.
Bridge essential for economy
A
third bridge should provide an easier, faster connection between
Highway 22 and Interstate 5. That would enhance Salem’s role as the
gateway to the Oregon Wine Country and to the Oregon Coast. It would
make Polk County more attractive for industrial development, while also
moving much of the heavy-truck traffic away from downtown Salem. That in
turn would make the downtown area more attractive as a place to shop,
conduct business and live.
Salem
is stuck with having major rail lines traverse the city’s core. But log
trucks and most other big rigs — which remain important to our regional
economy — could be routed around central Salem via the new bridge and
improved street connections. That rerouting cannot be accomplished by
simply tweaking the existing bridge access, as some have suggested.
A
new bridge — designed and built to withstand the greatest seismic
probabilities — would provide a badly needed alternative route in case
of a natural disaster that damaged the other bridges or an incident that
blocked their traffic. Past incidents have tied up traffic across the
Mid-Valley for hours, forcing commuters, trucks and tourists to take
bumper-to-bumper detours through Independence, Newberg or other river
crossings. Fortunately, such incidents have been rare.
The bridge also would serve the expected growth in Polk and Yamhill counties, especially the West Salem area.
Delays not acceptable
Any
bridge is decades away from completion. The environmental impact
statement, which was started in 2006, is roughly two-thirds of the way
through the process. Then come the funding, design and construction.
That’s why it’s important not to delay the project, because many
critical decisions must be made before the region can determine local
sources — such as tolls or taxes — and seek state and federal funds.
At
this point, the favored alternative would cross the Willamette River
near Hope Avenue on the west side and near Pine Street on the east side.
As
with any decision, there will be winners and losers with whichever
alternative is chosen — just as a decision to do nothing would create
winners and losers. The
public and government leaders have much to consider as far as location,
cost and design. But there should be little debate about whether to
move forward.
Progress has been slow
A third bridge has been discussed for generations. It was needed decades ago when a planned bridge near Dayton was scuttled. It
was needed in the early 1980s when Salem’s Marion and Center street
bridges were widened to four lanes each to handle more vehicles. It
was needed in the 1990s when Wallace Road NW in West Salem was widened
to four lanes to accommodate increased commuter traffic. And
it remains needed in the 21st century, even though traffic numbers on
the current bridges have dipped slightly, especially during the
recession.
Oregon
is a manufacturing state and a tourist destination; it has a commuting
capital. A strong, efficient and modern transportation system is
critical to our economy and to our future. The answer remains unequivocal: The Mid-Valley needs a third Willamette River bridge.
