[downtownpdx]

If I'm not mistaken, there is a region-wide policy that limits freeway through-lanes to 3 in each direction. I agree with you on the Rose Quarter area, it's pretty ridiculous to allow a major freeway in a major city to drop to two lanes near a major interchange (I-5 @ I-84). They're adding a third southbound lane on I-5 near Delta Park, which will finally relieve that bottleneck.

It's hard to say how much capacity we should allow, but personally I agree with the 3-lane stance - (which would make a lot more sense if they followed through with this at the Rose Quarter). This region invests a lot in mass transit and land-use planning, and it's wise that our leaders to operate on the premise that widening a freeway to solve congestion is like loosening your belt to solve obesity.

We've all seen the 12-lane freeways in other cities that were once widened to solve congestion, and it doesn't work. I think this region just needs to make mass-transit as convenient and safe as possible, with 'reasonable' additions to the freeway system that would relieve bottlenecks and make for safer commutes. But we'll never see freeways like Houston or LA -- this region takes a congestion 'management' approach, as opposed to 'relief.' There will always be congestion in some form, and we can offer creative alternatives, but we can't 'widen' our way out in the hope that one day we'll say "we're done!"