I-1125 bad for transportation

Jim Camden’s analysis of the latest Tim Eyman initiative (I-1125) points out many problems. The worst thing about I-1125 is that it jeopardizes the use of toll-backed revenue bonds to build major highway projects.

A report prepared for State Treasurer Jim McIntire notes that putting the Legislature in charge of setting tolls would make Washington the only state where the Legislature has this responsibility. This would spook the bond markets, and make it more expensive to use such bonds for major transportation projects. Jim McIntire says “prohibitively expensive.”

This would come at a time when gas tax revenues are barely adequate to pay off bonds on completed projects and provide for the upkeep of existing infrastructure. The Eyman initiative would throw a monkey wrench into the state’s planning for major new transportation projects. It would either kill such projects, or require a diversion of scarce gas tax dollars to pay for them. It could result in the shifting of money from Eastern Washington to pay for projects in the Puget Sound area.

Eyman says all this is necessary to make Washington more democratic. I say let’s not make Washington a guinea pig to test Eyman’s half-baked ideas.

Donald D. Lamp

Spokane