In The News

Letters to the editor: Jobs and fewer traffic jams

Sacramento Bee | July 21, 2011

Sacramento Metro Chamber interim president and CEO Martha Lofgren pens an editorial on the value new bridges across our rivers would bring.

 

By Martha Lofgren, Interim president and CEO, Sacramento Metro Chamber

The Sacramento Metro Chamber agrees new bridges across our rivers are needed. They’d help provide a temporary economic boost from jobs created during construction and have many positive long-term impacts for our people, commerce and communities. We are currently evaluating crossing sites, but this is clear: More bridges would shorten trips; encourage walking, bicycling and riverfront use; and decrease auto use, pollution and traffic jams. Fewer river crossings reduce options during emergencies, increasing EMS response times and impinging alternatives for evacuations.

The recently completed Folsom Lake Crossing bridge was built through immense cooperation among local, state and federal agencies – and a lot of regional collaboration through programs like the chamber’s Capitol-to-Capitol effort.

The bridge took just three years to build from final design to dedication – an amazing accomplishment. So despite complications and regulatory burdens, building a new bridge is doable and should be a top priority.

 

This letter originally appeared in The Sacramento Bee. Original link is no longer available.