Barbur Blvd, the ‘original I-5′, was part of the historic route from Canada to Mexico. The Pacific Hwy Route 99 has as much history and romance as the Will Rogers Hwy Route 66. It is also a safe commercial truck route. This makes it a perpetual gold mine for any business that wants a fast start-up.

Now, slam a MAX rail track onto that valuable span of road, and I would not touch Barbur with a $10 bicycle. When I-5 jams, I’ll re-route to Macadam or Capitol and take my business elsewhere. Barbur buys a lot of free time to study I-5 or possibly revive the old Sellwood freeway (known today as Terwilliger Exit & on-ramp). That off-ramp points directly at the Sellwood Bridge and was designed to touch the edge of Burlingame City Park and a shoot straight across the Willamette river to Oaks Park. But that makes too much sense. Instead, we are stuck with the insanely dangerous “terwilliger curves’ that flash-floods Barbur Blvd with motorists that don’t want to be there.

City government seems to want to erase every perfectly good arterial road off the map just to add another ornament to their resumes. I wouldn’t dare call Barbur hip, fearing METRO will hear it and will come. It is already hip without MAX.