This is terrific news. We've finally located the center of the linchpin.

I thought that the new traffic light solved this problem: it stops cars exiting from I-5 so that cars northbound on Macadam can get into the freeway lanes, and then it stops cars on Macadam so that cars leaving I-5 can turn right into SoWhat.

On the good side, it sounds as if there's $28 million that can be diverted from this project to the Sellwood Bridge.

Funding has been secured from several sources...

France, Germany and Japan, I hope.

Was this on the napkin, Sam?

Maybe the Willamette river can be a "cherry" stem linking the Sellwood Bridge to the Pearl District. Just hang a few condos from the new bridge.

So what is the total now:
- $100M to finish waterfront walkway
- $100M to get the I-5 on/off done right
- $50M for infrastructure

All this for about 5000 condos or $50K/unit? What's the payback in prop taxes on that.

What's all this driving in automobiles all about? The South Waterfront was supposed to let you live a car-free existence, what with the streetcar and the tram. Don't I remember Randy Leonard saying that folks could afford those higher priced condos because they wouldn't have the expense of owning an auto?

Maybe we need Comedian Steve Martin's solution as made famous on Saturday Night Live. Let's get really, really small.

We could double the road capacity by shrinking cars to half their current size. I still prefer half a car to being herded into a rail car.

But seriously, the only objection I have to fixing this Macadam road blockage is local and state government always seeming to pay top dollar (above competitive bid) for any work done plus mounds of consultant studies.

The SoWhat I-5 ramp is even more comical. Just 6 months ago, Brian Newman (Metro fame) now representing OHSU on the URAC, requested PDOT to do a "sensitivity study" on the ramp issue that had been decided over three years ago. He stated that possibly the flyover ramp to the tune of $80M may not be needed, and he asked that if not he would still like those dollars to be spent in SoWhat for OSHU's expansion. There was some disagreement to Neuman's thinking.

But the comedy continues: PDOT came back with the study (taxpayer expense)that said even with the temporary improvements of added two lanes off I-5 and signals, this ramp would reach failure very soon, and the designed flyover ramp is needed immediately. This is called Planning. The flyover ramp planning was an earlier ODOT and PDOT endeavor that said for SoWhat to somewhat function transportation-wise, that it was needed. OHSU was merely trying to skim more public money for their dreams.

BTW, the South Portal street improvements (SW Bancroft and two street south) that are designed to allow more capacity for traffic from Macadam to enter and exit from SoWhat is now costing over $50M and going up.

I thought transportation infrastructure was to be in place before development could occur, and that the developers were to pay for the improvements.

Lee: that is only for evil cookie cutter suburban developments. The point of the fees is to discourage their construction because they will all become slums within the next 5 years due to peak oil.

Transit oriented utopia such as this doesn't have such restrictive rules because the developers who build them and the people who live there are progressive and saving us from global warming/cooling/whatever.

...because the developers who build them and the people who live there are progressive and saving us from global warming/cooling/whatever.

But who'll save us from them?

There's no chance of any traffic related projects starting any time soon in this
city.
Every single elected official in sight is opposed to doing anything to relieve traffic or to accomodate increasing traffic.

"But seriously, the only objection I have to fixing this Macadam road blockage is local and state government always seeming to pay top dollar (above competitive bid) for any work done plus mounds of consultant studies."

That's par for the course. I heard the new Columbia River Bridge has already cost $17 million -- just talking about it!

Moreover, these public works projects would cost a third less if it wasn't for that stupid Davis Bacon Act.

"Moreover, these public works projects would cost a third less if it wasn't for that stupid Davis Bacon Act."

Yeah, paying union wages is just a horrible thing, isn't it?

I used to do my Davis Bacon Act at Fuller's, back when you could park over there. The rest room was an adventure, too.

It is a good thing most of those condos in SOWA are vacant. If people lived there the traffic would be much worse.

I understand Oregon has a "Little Davis-Bacon Act". What's that - dwarf comedians?