letter_bittner_3-25_bypassTEXTBVNE=;oa\Soi-mBINCAOeBypass deserves a new poll
The Sand Creek Bypass (byway) is a county issue, not just Sandpoint.
The Idaho Transpiration Department claims that the Sand Creek route has the overwhelming support of the community. How does it know?
In February 1993 when Sandpoint conducted an unofficial referendum, there were 3,026 registered voters. The vote in favor of the Sand Creek route (518) represented only 17 percent of Sandpoint voters.
Bonner County residents outside of Sandpoint had not been included in the referendum even though they will be greatly affect by the location of a bypass whether or not it goes through Sandpoint.
The last time the ITD conducted a true hearing before a concerned audience at the Bonner Mall, the overwhelming consensus of those attending was against the Sand Creek location. Since then, the ITD hearings have consisted of dog-and-pony shows where ITD representatives manned individual posts providing "information" to individuals wandering among their displays. Another such exhibition is supposed to take place this spring to justify the most recent environmental assessment.
Since 1993, the population of Bonner County has grown to almost 40,000 and now includes many new people from other parts of the country who are acutely aware of the adverse economic and environmental effects of building an elevated highway between Sand Creek and Lake Pend Oreille.
The county government has been reluctant to take a position on the location of the bypass on the grounds that it is a Sandpoint and ITD issue. The bypass issue definitely affects all the residents of Bonner County.
There should be another unofficial referendum or advisory vote which reflects the views of all the residents of Bonner County who have a stake in the in this very important issue before the ITD casts the bypass in concrete.
ED BITTNER
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