Now, I love the Beaverton / Tigard area of Oregon as I graduated from Tigard High School and have lived her my entire life, but I have to say the newest idea of the Oregon Department of Transportation is just absolutely stupid! (And stupid may not be a strong enough word!)
You see, we have a highway here that connects Highway 26 with Interstate 5 that cuts right through the cities of Tigard and Beaverton, called Highway 217. It is really only about 10 miles long, but it is very much needed because without it, the drive from highway 26 to interstate 5 via surface streets would take well over 45 minutes. But, over the years as Tigard and Beaverton have grown, the traffic on 217 gets very heavy during rush hour, but it is still faster than the surface streets. The surface streets at rush hour would take well ove ran hour and half.
So what is the solution of the Oregon Department of Transportation to relieve the congestion? It is to close exits and on ramps during rush hour times so less people use the highway. WHAT? Are you joking? This will not only increase the traffic at the other on ramps, it will increase the traffic in the neighborhoods near the freeway because people will drive them to get to the on ramp that is open.
I have a family. I don't want more cars driving through my neighborhood, just because you couldn't come up with a better plan than closing on ramps and exit ramps to lesson the amount of traffic. Many people jump on the freeway, just to go to the next exit because it is faster and they don't want to drive through the neighborhoods. I think you idea is foolish and short sighted and maybe you need to think of actual development.
How many employees do you have in the highway development division? Now answer me this... How many new highways have actually been developed in the last 15 years? Either figure it out or retire, because I don't want to pay you if you aren't actually developing anything!
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