To the editor:

Unfortunately, there has been a persistent view that the proposed bridge over Highway 305 traversing between Knechtel and Vineyard Lane is primarily one that benefits and is promoted by the residents of the Vineyard Lane condominium community.

This is false. The Board of Directors of the Vineyard Lane Owners Association voted unanimously this week to strongly oppose construction of a bridge (some individual residents have offered their own opinions). With the completion of the STO path (which itself was costly in terms of both construction and “destruction”), there is simply no need for a bridge. Indeed, support for this bridge is essentially based on a grand pipe dream by special interests, bureaucrats and a single vote majority on the city council that if realized, will result in even more clear cutting, expense, and disruption.

For what purpose? Let’s use the millions that will be wasted on a bridge “to nowhere” on widening road shoulders to provide safer bicycling and pedestrian use and other more useful and cost-effective projects that have genuine and larger benefit for our community.

Four of the six candidates for the three city council vacancies have stated they oppose this bridge: Rasham Nassar, Joe Deets, Kevin Fetterly and Matt Tirman.

At least one council seat is certain to convert the Council to a majority in opposition to the bridge in January (three existing members of the council not up for election already oppose the bridge).

It is nothing short of a disgrace that the lame duck city council members who support this bridge continue to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on design concepts for a bridge project that, assuming they do as promised, is going to be scrapped after the first of the year by the new council.

Indeed, every penny now being spent on the design preferences of the bridge (and the biased design “survey” being conducted by the city — which ignores a “no bridge” option) is money down the drain, or worse, used to justify spending even more later.

Had enough? Vote for Rasham Nassar, Joe Deets or Kevin Fetterly, and Matt Tirman.

MITCH WILK

Bainbridge Island