FAQs

OK, so C-TRAN's Proposition 1 ballot measure failed last November.  We'll try to resolve some of that confusion here with our understanding of the facts.   

Q: Was this an up or down vote on the LRT and BRT projects?

A: No.  As with all transportation projects, the public doesn't vote on whether or not to do the project; we elect people to represent us in making those "go/no-go" decisions.  Otherwise, we'd be voting on things like the SR-500/St. Johns interchange, the SR-14 improvements in Camas and Washougal, and the Salmon Creek Interchange Project, among others.  C-TRAN's Proposition 1 was about whether or not the community would support a 0.1% sales tax increase to pay for high capacity transit projects including the Columbia River Crossing LRT and BRT operations and maintenance, and the local match for BRT construction.  The voters said no, if you want these projects, then you need to find some way other than a sales tax increase to pay for them.

Q: How did the Proposition 1 vote do in the Fourth Plain BRT corridor?

A: It would have passed with a 52 percent approval.  Using mapping from the Columbian, and data from the county elections office via the Columbian, we assembled the map below.  It shows that in the BRT corridor, Proposition 1 would have passed.  This shows support for the project by people who would have been willing to tax themselves to pay for it.

Q: Won't BRT cost us more money to operate and maintain?

A: No, according to C-TRAN it would actually save the agency almost $17 million over the next 20 years.  That's an average of between $800,000 and $900,000 per year.  All of that savings can be reinvested into C-TRAN's system to beef up other routes.  Mill Plain and Highway 99 are two corridors that come to mind: our observations of Route 37 that serves both corridors indicates it is suffering problems very similar to Fourth Plain, and Route 37 does not directly serve Clark College, either.

Q: Will BRT cost hundreds of millions of dollars?

A: No.  C-TRAN's latest cost estimate is around $49 million, and we understand that includes several million dollars in contingencies to minimize the risk of cost overruns.  On a regional scale, there's at least eight other transportation projects that are currently underway or planned that cost more than the Fourth Plain BRT project.  And none of them will save users 8 to 10 minutes per trip.


Q: Will BRT put people out of business?

A: No.  Some repaving work may cause minor delays, but no street closures are expected. Most construction will be roadside for BRT stations, and construction crews will strive not to block business access. 

Also, BRT runs in mixed traffic, not dedicated lanes, so business access will not be blocked and you can still get in and out from businesses along Fourth Plain.  There will be minimal disruptions due to construction.