Monroe a boondoggle

The justifications for the Monroe street project are seriously flawed. Spokane has only four major north-south arterials, Nevada, Division, Maple and Monroe. To do anything to limit the capacity of any of these streets is irresponsible. Not only will it add tens of thousands of hours to the commute times of the drivers who use Monroe, but the increased congestion will contribute to air pollution throughout the corridor.

The justification for the project that it will create a safer pedestrian environment is also flawed. The Hamilton-Nevada corridor has exactly the same lane configuration as Monroe, yet the city installed crosswalk lights along the Hamilton-Nevada through the Gonzaga area without seeing any need to create lane reductions. The number of cars and pedestrians on Hamilton-Nevada vastly exceeds the traffic on North Monroe, but pedestrians are able to easily and safely cross Hamilton.

It seems the main reason for entering into this boondoggle is because the city has received a grant for $4.6 million. This still leaves the city on the hook for $2.5 million. It would be much more responsible to spend the taxpayer’s $2.5 million to continue much needed street repair.

Jeffrey Nadeau

Spokane