DOT: Get priorities straight

I am outraged to hear the Washington state Department of Transportation is considering a loop highway around Mt. St. Helens so tourists won’t be inconvenienced.

What about the the inconvenience, wasted gas, wasted time and serious injuries just trying to drive through Monroe where no bypass has been built? The city of Monroe and the state have turned this place into a traffic nightmare by luring business and residents with little or no concern for the negative quality of life it has created.

There has been a plan for a bypass for over 20 years but nothing has been done because there is no money. Then how could any sane person (or group) think that a $4 million per mile road around a mountain for tourists is a good idea? I realize the tourist industry is important but to put their enjoyment ahead of our safety and sanity is just not acceptable.

We need a bypass route. We want a bypass route. Give us a long overdue bypass route.

Monroe

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