Like a rotting zombie stumbling mindlessly down the middle of the street in search of new brains to eat, the West Eugene Parkway has crawled out of its shallow grave in search of another mayoral election to devour.
Kill it, ladies and gentlemen. Cut off its head and burn the body. If you don't dispose of it properly, once and for all, it will keep coming back, ripping the heart out of any opportunity to have a meaningful mayoral debate about the future of transportation in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area.
Yes, Mayor Kitty Piercy was instrumental three years ago in nailing the coffin shut on the West Eugene Parkway, and challenger Jim Torrey isn't about to let anyone forget it. That's understandable, because if this newspaper's letters to the editor are any indication, a reservoir of enmity still exists among some voters, who twice approved the parkway project and hold Piercy responsible for its demise.
If those voters see this election as their chance to punish Piercy for following through on her campaign promise to look for alternatives to the parkway, Torrey offers them an obvious alternative for their ballots. But they need to understand that even if Torrey returns for a third term as Eugene's mayor, the West Eugene Parkway as they knew it isn't coming with him. Torrey has said so himself on several occasions, even as he reminds anyone within earshot that Piercy's decision produced "unintended consequences."
Massively over budget and burdened with environmental problems, the 5.8-mile, limited-access West Eugene Parkway plan was on life support when Piercy cast the tie-breaking vote to pull the plug in 2005. On one level, it was a pragmatic and defensible decision.
But Torrey is absolutely right about the unintended consequences. The parkway project, which would have taken traffic from west of the city limits across the west Eugene wetlands, to Highway 99 at West Fifth and Seventh avenues, was supported by every local jurisdiction but Eugene. Eugene's decision added to the city's unwanted reputation as an aloof, go-it-alone operation.
Killing the parkway certainly didn't go over well with the Oregon Department of Transportation, which can't be blamed for moving Eugene's future transportation wish list to the back burner. It's hard to imagine a solution to west Eugene's traffic problems that won't require the state's enthusiastic support.
That raises questions about Piercy's alternative to the parkway plan: a 25-member group called the West Eugene Collaborative that is charged with making recommendations by December. The committee is analyzing traffic issues west of the city limits on Highway 126 all the way to Veneta.
Which is exactly what it should be doing, and the collaborative approach may be the key to designing a project that stands a better chance for success. Voters who appreciate this kind of consensus-building approach to problem-solving should support Piercy, because it is a hallmark of her philosophy.
But the process isn't built for speed. It remains to be seen whether this diverse group will be able to fashion a practical, affordable project that fits within the existing jurisdictional and funding constraints.
Still, that's much more what this election should be about. What is the right approach to solving complex transportation and infrastructure problems? Whose ideas are most likely to bring tangible results that voters will be able to see?
Piercy and Torrey should be debating real transportation proposals, not wrestling with zombies.
