That great bastion of populism, Facebook (You were expecting Congress maybe?), now has a group opposing the tolling of any future bridges spanning the Ohio River. While I think it might have something to do with a joint venture between Indiana and Kentucky to waste $4.1 billion on a set of bridges most Louisvillians don’t really want in the first place, the group “NO TOLLS ON SHERMAN-MINTON, OR KENNEDY BRIDGES. EVER.” lays out its mission thusly:

Now, the Ohio River Bridges Project is estimated to cost 4.1 Billion dollars. This is due in part to the unnecessary tunnel beneath the Drumanard Estate, the proposed additional downtown bridge that will butcher historic Jeffersonville, and the re-building of spaghetti junction that will make I-64 23 lanes across Waterfront Park.

And now the Bi-State Bridges Authority want to even put tolls on the existing I-65 and the I-64 bridges to pay for it all. This is the last thing we need. New economic barriers to regional transportation is an insane idea.

How did “Build the East End Bridge” turn into all this mess? All we want is an East-End Bridge NOW.

Clarification: We’re not saying no tolls on new roads. Just no tolls on existing roads that ARE ALREADY PAID FOR.

Since the 14-member Bi-State Bridges Authority Panel Committee Group Enclave of Thuggery doesn’t really answer to “constituents,” swelling the ranks of a Facebook group will unfortunately have to suffice, so click here for freedom and democracy.

Additionally, Louisville builder and historian Steve Wiser has released his own critique of the Ohio River Bridges Project (aka NAMBLA). Wiser also presents his own plan, which would cost a lot less and make infinitely more sense — kind of like a similar proposal… — which means it will ultimately be ignored by the authority’s feudal overlord, Joe Prather.

Writes Wiser:

How did we as a community arrive at this point? We are about to build two
bridges and quadruple the size of spaghetti junction.  This $4.1 billion dollar
monster will by paid by tolls on the bridges.  Only the Chicago region and Louis-
ville will be the only inland cities with tolls.  St. Louis, Cincinnati, Memphis,
Pittsburgh, etc., do not have tolls.

Have we lost all perspective on how this will negatively harm our community’s
growth? This drastic situation did not occur overnight.  It’s been a slow, steady
50 year process that has resulted in this worst case scenario.

Costs have skyrocketed almost 2,000 percent since the initial projection of $200
million was made for the east end bridge in 1990.  The tunnel alone has soared
300% in just the last three years.

If today, without all this past history, a task force recommended a $4.1 billion
dollar, two bridge, massive overhaul of spaghetti junction, toll-funded proposal,
both governors would respond: ‘are you NUTS!?!  You want to divide our two
states with tolls?  Go back and find a more realistic solution!’

With all due respect to Wiser, calling for “realistic solutions” to any major problem facing the commonwealth when the Governor and the Mayor are campaigning together is pretty fucking unrealistic. This is a shame, of course, because Wiser’s (and 8664′s) ideas deserve more attention than what this community can apparently muster — so instead we’re getting the shitty plan we deserve.