Comments on: Steel Bridge protest shines light on infrastructure crisis /news/2011/11/16/steel-bridge-protest-shines-light-on-infrastructure-crisis/ Building and Construction News in Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:52:13 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.6 By: Bob /news/2011/11/16/steel-bridge-protest-shines-light-on-infrastructure-crisis/#comment-68329 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:52:48 +0000 /news/2011/11/16/steel-bridge-protest-shines-light-on-infrastructure-crisis/#comment-68329 I am glad to see a protest that presents a specific and valid issue. The cooperation with local unions is also a welcome component to this action. This approach is a valid one. Perhaps OccupyPDX, unions, and other concerned citizens could organize around very specific issues and present them in similar ways once per week at different locations around town. I think the camping component has proven to lack support among most Portland residents, so specific, peaceful actions like the one on Steel Bridge are more likely to elicit support.

I also feel a great deal of frustration regarding the issue of transportation funding. Not to specifically pick on the Lane Transit District, but over the years, LTD’s redundant and expensive EmX received more than $60 million in federal funding, while other bridges and roads in Oregon fell into disrepair. Not everyone lives in proximity to Lane Transit District’s buses, and while the EmX was growing on specific, already-serviced urban corridors, other outlying service routes were cut. The whole thing just makes no sense to me. I suspect there are hundreds of other low-priority projects like EmX getting funding, while infrastructure like Steel Bridge continues to deteriorate. Hopefully this action will get the attention of those responsible for allocating the diminishing dollars and put this project ahead of projects like EmX.

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