North Spokane boondoggle

The picture of the “gold plated” shovels on the front page of today’s (Sept. 8) paper is a perfect example of what is wrong with the North Spokane Corridor (NSC) project. Important politicians and dignitaries are seen ceremonially shoveling dirt at a groundbreaking – thus proving that they can “bring home the bacon” to their districts.

The problem is that we, the taxpayers, are paying for their photo op. It is fiscally irresponsible to be funding this $3 billion pork barrel project during the worst economic recession in our lifetime.

At the regional level, Spokane does not have serious traffic congestion problems. Collectively, our daily congestion index is less than 0.2 percent of Puget Sound’s congestion problems. At the local level, at intersections along Division or Nevada or Market, the NSC won’t relieve the failing level of service we have been experiencing and will continue to suffer through once the freeway is complete. How do we know this? The numbers are buried in the environmental impact statement that nobody bothered to read but was used to justify this project in the first place, nearly a decade ago. We need responsible leadership to step up and end this ill-fated boondoggle.

John Covert

Spokane