Accident demonstrates poor design of bypass

The recent tragic and avoidable accident on the Long Bridge demonstrates once again the major design flaw of the proposed Sand Creek Bypass.

Specifically, the bypass as currently designed will be a dangerous, outdated and ineffective addition to our current local transportation issues.

I state this because of the lack of any type of lane dividers between the northbound and southbound lanes in the present bypass design. This will of course create more of the same type of avoidable accidents that put people into the hospital last week, and snarled traffic for hours in each direction, after the completely avoidable accident on the Long Bridge.

Several engineers involved with the bypass design agree with me that a divider is necessary, and also agree that the present structural design will accommodate a lane divider without the need for widening the current bypass plan.

The head engineers, though, told me that their projections of tragic accidents with the predicted number of resulting maimings and deaths, because of a lack of a center divider in the bypass design, will be "statistically acceptable."

I wonder if the head bypass engineers can look anyone that was involved in last weeks Long Bridge accident in the eyes and tell them that their injuries, medical costs, probable legal actions and costs, insurance costs, and costs to our area in social services will be "statistically acceptable."

The recent population growth here makes the original use projections of the Bypass even more outdated than they originally were; their projections don't plan for any use of the bypass by residents of Bonner County.

Cost has been given as the main reason to not have a lane divider incorporated into the bypass. Jersey barriers will not be prohibitively expensive, and will fit into the current design.

Would any cost be too much, when you couldn't get home last week? When you missed your appointment? When emergency services couldn't get through? When lives are at stake? Do the accident victims and the families of last weeks Long Bridge accident accept their status as a "statistically acceptable" life-altering casualty? Do we as a community accept being treated as disposable by the bypass designers?

MARK WATSON

Sandpoint