Last Thursday's transportation committee was pathetic. Metro Councilman Ken Flemming decided not to consider the Ward-Pugh/Owen resolution to seek public input before initiating the tolling authority process. Instead, Flemming rubber stamped the Tandy/Kramer resolution to ask the Mayor to set up a tolling authority.
The Ward-Pugh/Owen resolution which was never read in committee contained the following:
WHEREAS, the Kentucky General Assembly granted to the Louisville Metro Council [the "Council"] the authority to duly consider and determine the need for the creation of a Bi-State Infrastructure Authority for projects in Louisville Metro; and
WHEREAS, the Kentucky General Assembly granted to the Council the flexibility to modify an existing project as necessary due to changing circumstances; and
WHEREAS, the Ohio River Bridges Project (ORBP) is now estimated to cost $4.1 Billion; and
WHEREAS, it is now clear that the ORBP must be paid for primarily with tolls instead of by Federal and State road funds generated by taxes already being paid; and
WHEREAS it is not known how much tolls will cost or on which bridges they will be imposed, though it is likely they will be on all the bridges and not just newly constructed ones; and
WHEREAS, a study by Wilbur Smith and Associates released in February 2008 indicated that it might be necessary to toll existing bridges as well as new bridges at a rate of $3 per crossing to generate enough revenue to pay for the ORBP; and
WHEREAS, tolls will have a detrimental effect on "cross river mobility," the stated purpose and need of the ORBP; and
WHEREAS, the ORBP will define the character of our city for generations; and
WHEREAS, State of Kentucky traffic counts indicate that traffic in Spaghetti Junction did not increase from 1992 to 2007; and
WHEREAS, in 2008 traffic volumes declined by more than 11% on the Kennedy Bridge and by more than 5% in Spaghetti Junction; and
WHEREAS, according to the Texas Transportation Institute 2009 Urban Mobility Report, congestion in Louisville "stayed relatively constant" over the decade from 1997 to 2007; and
WHEREAS, according to INRIX National Traffic Scorecard, in 2008 traffic congestion in Louisville decreased by 39%; and
WHEREAS, six years of actual traffic counts are now available to compare to the assumptions in the ORBP 2003 Environmental Impact Study; and
WHEREAS,, the Brookings Institute's 2000 Beyond Merger Report states that Louisville has built too many roads and an increase in Vehicle Miles Traveled translates into greater traffic congestion; and
WHEREAS,, a November 2008 study conducted by Wilbur Smith and Associates for Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) determined that an alternative which included only an East End Bridge provided the same "system wide performance" as the Ohio River Bridges Project; and
WHEREAS, the ORBP's Environmental Impact Statement forecasts that the East End Bridge will provide for better "cross river mobility" than the more expensive Downtown Bridge; and
WHEREAS, River Fields has fought the construction of the East End Bridge for decades and threatened recently to "participate in the review that will be necessary to comply with environmental laws if tolls are chosen as part of the financial plan"; and
WHEREAS, a January 2008 poll demonstrated that residents of Louisville Jefferson County Metro would prioritize the construction of the East End Bridge by a 2-to-1 margin; and
WHEREAS, expanding the Kennedy Bridge Interchange to 23 lanes wide will have a detrimental effect on the real and perceived value of our historic downtown; and
WHEREAS, expanding Spaghetti Junction to 23 lanes wide will create major bottlenecks at hospital curve and the Cochran Tunnel; and
WHEREAS, the price of gas has doubled since the ORBP's Record of Decision was established; and
WHEREAS, there is growing sentiment in our community to invest in public transit and other alternatives to the 2-bridge ORBP solution; and
WHEREAS, the maintenance of our existing bridges has become a grave concern; and
WHEREAS, according to the Brookings Institute, Louisville has the 5th worst carbon footprint per capita of any city in the US; and
WHEREAS, according to the Environmental Protection Agency Louisville is a Particulate Matter 2.5 non-attainment city; and
WHEREAS, Waterfront Park, over which the ORBP will increase the expressway width by 50%, has become such a valuable and treasured community asset; and
WHEREAS, research suggests that urban expressways have a detrimental impact on the surrounding neighborhood and whereas the expansion of the Kennedy Interchange would literally encroach on and likely destroy portions of historic Butchertown and Clifton neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the Kentucky General Assembly changing the ORBP from traditional funding to tolling, the existing Record of Decision will be opened for further review in accordance with Federal environmental law; and
WHEREAS, the ORBP predates our current Metro Government and has never been fully vetted by the newly elected leadership of our entire merged community; and
WHEREAS, thus, the community has not had an opportunity to learn about the scope of the project in a public forum; and
WHEREAS, the Metro Council-the local elected body of Louisville Metro-will have little or no say in the direction of the tolling authority once it has been created; and
WHEREAS, the Metro Council would, by its creation of the Bi-state Infrastructure Authority, relinquish all control that guarantees there is a fair and thorough process whereby all citizens of this newly merged government will be guaranteed a voice in the discussions and decisions made by such an authority; and
WHEREAS, if the Metro Council chooses to create the Bi-state Infrastructure Authority without establishing and executing its own fair and public process that ensures all citizens of this newly
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