To the editor:

The Seattle area is now listed as one of the leading super commuter cities in the nation, and Whidbey Island certainly contributes to the problem, which could be corrected with a route from Oak Harbor east to Interstate 5 at 300th NW.

Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen has said the Deception Pass Bridge should last easily until it is 80 years old, the same as the Steel Electric ferries. There was a study completed in 2001, called the North Whidbey Access Feasibility Study. It had four options, one being a ferry which can’t begin to carry the number of vehicles 24/7 that a bridge can. The entire Washington ferry system only carries about 11 million vehicles, while the Deception Pass Bridge can handle over 7 million a year. The problem is that it’s at the north end of the island. Another problem is political, with the no-growthers and the Navy that fear the people that an additional bridge might bring with possible complaints about jet noise.

I have tried to discuss these points with Reps. Barbara Bailey and Norma Smith, but they won’t talk about the inadequate Deception Pass Bridge.

I would think they could work for a public vote for a bridge to I-5, yes or no, to get the heat off them. It’s the responsible thing.

DAVE CRAWFORD

Anacortes