Fuck. I-5 collapsed in WA

[XavierD]

the selfless thing to do would be for drivers to run off the bridge from both sides until the pile of cars is high enough that the other cars can cross the river.

Please, lead the charge.

[AK47bp]

What the hell is going on with these Canadadians? is this the slowest pace, most passive aggressive border war in history?

[Hugh Conway]

What the hell is going on with these Canadadians? is this the slowest pace, most passive aggressive border war in history?

It's only a few adventurous ones who've heard rumours of a great uncanucked Costco to the south that are making it past Bellingham right now. Soon it may turn into a flood, be careful what you wish for.

[jfost]

What the hell is going on with these Canadadians? is this the slowest pace, most passive aggressive border war in history?

"54 40' or figh, well or strongly disagree for years while maintaining positive trade and diplomatic relations!!!"

[jfost]

It's only a few adventurous ones who've heard rumours of a great uncanucked Costco to the south that are making it past Bellingham right now. Soon it may turn into a flood, be careful what you wish for.

there's one that stocks more than tires and household paper products?

edit: and milk, Jesus - those Canadians went crazy for that pallet of milk in the video below!

[Skree]

What the hell is going on with these Canadadians? is this the slowest pace, most passive aggressive border war in history?

Yup. Their most devious tactic is making our Costco experience less pleasant.

[Skree]

It's only a few adventurous ones who've heard rumours of a great uncanucked Costco to the south that are making it past Bellingham right now. Soon it may turn into a flood, be careful what you wish for.

The new one they're thinking of building right next to I-5 on Bakerview might keep that from happening

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013...tial-plan.html

[Skree]

edit: and milk, Jesus - those Canadians went crazy for that pallet of milk in the video below!

It's worth seeing in person. When the milk is about to come out, there'll be at least 20 of them waiting nearby with empty carts.

[XavierD]

That milk crate was like watching a UN food distro site. Damn, no cows up north.

[AK47bp]

They come south for Costco I go north for their mountains and OTC Tylenol with Codeine. Plus their McDonald's are so much nicer for some reason.

[PNWbrit]

their McDonald's are so much nicer for some reason.

A larger proportion of Canadians are of Scottish descent?

[Skree]

Plus their McDonald's are so much nicer for some reason.

They really are. Same food, twice the fancy.

[spook]

Please, lead the charge.

sorry, as much as i'd like to, i have a smart car that stops itself before such acts. you're becoming quite the whiny nimrod.

[Hugh Conway]

The new one they're thinking of building right next to I-5 on Bakerview might keep that from happening

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013...tial-plan.html

Will there be passport checks?

[GoldMember]

This is interesting. I got this email today from State Sen Mike Baumgartner (R-6th).

Common-sense idea to prevent future bridge collapses

I'm sure you heard about the bridge over the Skagit River in north-western Washington that collapsed after being hit by a truck that was too large to safely make it under. As more details have emerged, it appears the state Department of Transportation had issued a special permit to the vehicle that exceeded the bridge’s limitations, which ultimately led to the bridge’s collapse. Some lawmakers in Olympia are using the event as an excuse to call for higher gas taxes, but the fact is that when it comes to preventing a disaster like this, proper oversight is needed rather than more money.

This bridge collapse hadnothing to do with gas taxes. It’s just common sense that DOT shouldn’t be issuing permits for trucks that are bigger than the bridges that they cross, and something needs to be done to prevent future incidents. That's why I introduced Senate Bill 5944, which would forbid DOT from issuing travel permits for vehicles that exceed the maximum height or width restrictions of any bridge or overpass along a vehicle’s intended route.
Additionally, the bill would require proper signage for all structures that provide less than 16 feet of clearance above public highways. Bridges and overpasses in that category would need to have clearly posted signs indicating the maximum clearance height.
As it turns out, the bridge in Skagit County had been struck 22 times just in the past year, yet DOT failed to properly post warning signs. Frankly, whether it is wasting $100 million on floating bridge pontoons that don’t float or doing nothing after 22 vehicles repeatedly hit the same bridge, it’s clear that DOT has a bridge management problem and the agency obviously needs more oversight. We need to get this fixed.

[XavierD]

How does State Senator Baumgartner propose implementing that plan without additional spending/revenue?

Signs, and having them installed, costs money. So does establishing a relatively accessible database for load and height restrictions for WA's roadways, than paying people to update and use it.

[GoldMember]

How does State Senator Baumgartner propose implementing that plan without additional spending/revenue?

Signs, and having them installed, costs money. So does establishing a relatively accessible database for load and height restrictions for WA's roadways, than paying people to update and use it.

I can't answer that, you'd likely have to ask him. Having said that, I would assume that once a transportation bill gets worked out between the two houses, the funding would possibly come through that revenue source. However, I would also assume that signage would be out of existing funding sources and would be 'budget dust' in comparison to the overall state transportation budget. I would also think the DOT has a pretty good inventory of data regarding clearances at probably every bridge in the state and that it wouldn't take much to put that data online. But that's just a guess. I just found the information interesting and look for a legislative fight over the control DOT has versus what the legislature might put up.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

WSDOT is very good at wasting our money. I'm not in a big hurry to see our near-highest gas tax in the nation become the highest.

Latest potential boondoggle - pay to drive lanes on I-405 from Bellevue to Mukilteo. Do these REALLY reduce congestion? How much $ do they generate vs. how much they cost?

[PNWbrit]

WSDOT is very good at wasting our money.

It's unbelievable that there wasn't more (some?) signage for the Skagit bridge. It seems like there's some variable speed limit sign or amber alert/traffic delay info board or tune to 7200 am radio every half mile.

But yeah just "oversight" isn't going to do a damn thing.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

... It seems like there's some variable speed limit sign or amber alert/traffic delay info board or tune to 7200 am radio every half mile....

Don't even get me started on those stupid fucking signs. What a complete and total waste. "Hey, the speed limit is 35 on this section of freeway now. Sure wish I could go that fast..."

[GoldMember]

Don't even get me started on those stupid fucking signs. What a complete and total waste. "Hey, the speed limit is 35 on this section of freeway now. Sure wish I could go that fast..."

Heh....agreed. You just again reminded me of why I hate driving on that side of the state, not that it's any great shakes over here but at least we don't have near the number of cars driving slow in our restricted lanes.

On the gas tax, I agree there too. However, in exchange for high gas taxes, we don't have toll roads (common throughout the country) and we pay for ferries that would otherwise have to be very expensive bridges, that apparently tend to fall down. Also, with higher CAFE standards and a greater number of electric or hybrid vehicles, the entire revenue package for transportation needs a heavy look. I don't believe in just raising gas taxes and think we need a broader revenue source. There needs to be broader discussion on this.

[Buke]

Leave it to a congressman to propose stupid legislation. Is it really necessary to pass a law for this? Maybe DOT should have the ability to prioritize resources the way that they (the supposed transportation experts) see fit, rather than having someone who probably doesn't know the first thing about transportation priorities mandating how they do their job?

[PNWbrit]

Leave it to a congressman to propose stupid legislation. Is it really necessary to pass a law for this? Maybe DOT should have the ability to prioritize resources the way that they (the supposed transportation experts) see fit, rather than having someone who probably doesn't know the first thing about transportation priorities mandating how they do their job?

Or stupid Eyman sponsored ballot initiatives having hamstrung state government spending and revenue raising.

Maybe the freemarketz will fix our bridgez?

[Mazderati]

Leave it to a congressman to propose stupid legislation. Is it really necessary to pass a law for this? Maybe DOT should have the ability to prioritize resources the way that they (the supposed transportation experts) see fit, rather than having someone who probably doesn't know the first thing about transportation priorities mandating how they do their job?

Would you say the proposed legislation is less, more, or equally as stupid as the DOT's failure to mark height and weight limits for bridges and then issue use permits for over sized vehicles to cross bridges that are too small?

[GoldMember]

Would you say the proposed legislation is less, more, or equally as stupid as the DOT's failure to mark height and weight limits for bridges and then issue use permits for over sized vehicles to cross bridges that are too small?

Yeah, I think that was the point of the bill. You would think common sense and legitimate accountability would rule the day. However, lacking that, pass a glaringly stupid bill to point out the largess of the bureaucratic mass.