He says burgeoning traffic on the state's roads is actually a symptom of a much bigger problem - that people can't afford to live where they work, so they spend hours on the road in vehicles that many times are not in very good condition.

[–] [Deleted] 2 points (+2|-0)

"But what concerns me with all that money is that it pays off bonds (for completed projects)," Millar said. "By 2027, about 71 percent of the gas tax will be going to pay off bonds – so we'll be sending the bulk of the gas tax to the bank."

The answer, he says, is to come up with new approaches to solving the state's transportation woes. The state Department of Transportation is embarking on a 20-year multimodal plan that recognizes there is limited funding for transportation investment, he says.

"I've been in this business for 40 years and we need to acknowledge when something is not working and thus be willing to try something different," Millar said.

A government employee with a clue? Did I read that right?

[–] PhunkyPlatypus 1 points (+1|-0)

Rhe I-5 corridor that this is referring to has been a growing problem since the 80's. With the boom of Seattle and the military base, plus the surrounding areas, they've been trying to solve this issue for decades. There's bandages and temporary fixes, but no actual solutions.

The infrastructure can't accommodate modern needs as it was never designed to. WSDOT realized this 20 years ago, and growth has exceeded expectations.

When that train derailed last winter. It crippled the economy of the surrounding area and affected even international transport. There's no efficient bypass that side of the cascade mountains. They had to open up a restricted military base to allow civilian traffic through after orders from the Pentagon. Shit got dire because of one incident that shut down the only main route through that chunk of the state.

Sorry, a bit of an unnecessary rant there. But hey, here's some unsolicited background information on the subject

[–] [Deleted] 0 points (+0|-0)

Unsolicited but very welcome. I'm glad to see someone reading some of the crap I post.

:-)

I know the article said that more roads aren't the answer. Have you heard any suggestions that sounded like they might work?

[–] PhunkyPlatypus 0 points (+0|-0)

Edited

A couple, none would totally fix the issue though. All would come at a massive cost.

If they could create a bypass strictly for the military base that would decrease the choke point there around tacoma.

They could double the light rail infrastructure along that part of the I-5 corridor. This would get more cars off the road. But this ain't Japan and everyone would rather drive than take public transit.

Or they could change the housing market around the cities so people could afford to live closer. I've known a couple people near Olympia who commuted to Seattle every day. That's over 120 miles round trip.

These would all take years and billions of dollars. And I have no clue how much they would help. Basically it's just all pretty fucked.

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He says burgeoning traffic on the state's roads is actually a symptom of a much bigger problem - that people can't afford to live where they work, so they spend hours on the road in vehicles that many times are not in very good condition.

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