Orphan Road

Wouldn't you know it, with gas prices on the up, Clark County residents are driving less frequently into downtown Portland:

Traffic across the Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 bridges, which has gradually ticked upward for most of the past decade, nudged down a fraction in February and dropped 3.3 percent in March, according to preliminary figures from the Oregon Department of Transportation. No figures are out yet for April or May, but those who watch the bridges each day say drives are getting easier.

“My morning commute hasn’t really felt different, but coming home traffic has been lighter,” said Vancouver Heights resident Amanda Brown, 26, who works in downtown Portland and crosses the I-5 bridge each day.

...

More people are taking the bus as well. C-Tran gave 532,026 rides in March, up 36,500 from the same month a year earlier.

“There seems to be an increase in the number of people taking the train,” said northeast Vancouver resident Marjorie Johnson, 65, who daily drives across the I-205 bridge then takes the Max light rail to work near Portland’s Lloyd Center. “I see new faces every day. We fill the train.”

ODOT and WADOT are currently working on a replacement for the current bridge. The most controversial aspect has been whether or not to leave room for putting light rail on it. Given the current situation, light rail ought to move from "controversial" to "no-brainer."