We need answers from Metro Council

When we elect members of our Metro Government we expect them to serve our interests to the best of their ability. If they don't, then we will elect people who will.

The Ohio River Bridges Project has changed dramatically since the Record of Decision was signed in 2003. Consider what's happened in seven years:

• The cost has tripled from $1.4 Billion to $4.1 Billion.
• Now we are being asked to pay for it with tolls.
• The price of gas has doubled.
• The economy is in a sustained recession.
• Recent reports suggest traffic and congestion have declined.

All of this, and two local Councilmen have had this to say:

"This is not the time for further discussion on the project itself"
-Kevin Kramer

"The time for public discussion, as far as this issue, has passed"
-David Tandy

Not so fast! When these two should be asking tough questions, they instead want to rubber stamp a non-elected authority to impose what could be a $4.1 Billion tax on the citizens of our region. Shouldn't they be asking questions like:

What do the citizens of this region want?

Could we build the East End Bridge first without tolls?

Does the Environmental Impact Statement really say that the East End Bridge will provide more "cross-river mobility" at less than half the cost of the Downtown Bridge? [Hint: YES]

How much and on which bridges might they toll?

Do people support building a 23 lane Spaghetti Junction and widening I-64 over the Great Lawn?

Won't a bigger Spaghetti Junction simply push the bottlenecks to Hospital Curve and Cochran Tunnel?

Does River Fields plan to sue if/when the Record of Decision is opened to allow for tolling? (Hint: YES]

No one wants to see the East End Bridge move forward faster than we do, which is why now is a critical time for our elected leaders to answer some very important questions. If they don't, we should hold them accountable.