<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Phil,<div><br></div><div>I agree that we need an "autobahn" type fix for the many transportation problems here in the North Idaho region, especially when you look at the goat trails we now use.</div><div>Pennsylvania has a "turnpike" and once that road is "paid for" the tolls will be removed. It now costs about $23 for a passenger car to travel the 359 miles of the system if you travel the maximum distance. The road was started in 1940, and the toll doesn't look like it will ever be taken off. Realistically, do you think that Idaho drivers would pay 15 to 20 dollars to drive the 218 miles to Boise? Do you think the legislature would ever remove the tolls?</div><div><br></div><div>One of the biggest things that comes out to me with all the controversy with the US 12 issue is that the road was built for transportation. All the talk against the over sized loads has to do with the possible damage/destruction of the road now labeled a "beautiful and scenic" highway. Well, it now makes me wonder just how hard it is going to be to ever have another road designated a scenic highway IF that means it will no longer available for its intended purpose, transportation.</div><div><br></div><div>From my perspective, this issue has long gone from a "damage to the road" issue to more of a "stop the oil company" issue and any argument that can be used against the shipping of the materials needed to build the oil sands project will be used. For instance, I've heard several times about the possible pollution to the rivers/waters IF one of the "over sized" loads falls into the river. Well, the only pollution problems I see in that case is the oil/fuel that the truck itself has on board for propulsion. There are fuel trucks on that road daily that pose a much greater risk of possible pollution IF they go in the river than the "over sized" loads, but I don't hear anyone wanting those to stop. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Wayne</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Aug 10, 2010, at 6:29 PM, Shelley Roderick wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div bottommargin="5" leftmargin="5" rightmargin="5" scroll="yes" topmargin="5" bgcolor="#ffffff" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" webfixed="1"><table id="INCREDIMAINTABLE" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" background="cid:DA3BA70E-26C2-4887-8FB2-5C32592F95EC" bgcolor="#e4f2f9" height="100%"><tbody><tr><td id="INCREDITEXTREGION" valign="top" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Arial; direction: ltr; color: rgb(26, 87, 123); font-size: 12pt; padding-top: 20px; "><div id="INCREDI_TEXT_AREA" style="padding-left: 2px; "><div>How about this thought wave? Maybe they ought to build America's first autobahn and to help them pay for it they could even charge a toll so those of us who would like to go fast...could. When the road is paid for, the toll ceases. In the future when they need more equipment shipped they will already have a right of way.</div><div> </div><div>Phil </div></div></td><td valign="bottom" width="1" align="right"><span><image.gif></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span id="IncrediStamp"><a href="http://www.incredimail.com/?id=606430&rui=127388087"><span name="imgCache" border="0"><span><stampa_girl_line_en.gif></span></span></a></span>=======================================================<br>List services made available by First Step Internet,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br> <a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <br> <a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>=======================================================</div></span></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>