As the issue of traffic relief options for downtown I-5 exits has resurfaced, so has the disinformation campaign against the preferred 312th Street option.

Recall that opposition from the Steel Lake neighborhood defeated the recommendation from the original city study. Resistance from a single neighborhood had a major long-term impact on the city at large.

I hope that with this review, it will be the needs of the city rather than the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. I urge my fellow citizens to examine the substance of arguments against the 312th Street option.

As for impacts on Steele Lake Park: Adding a lane to 312th Street will close the park? This is hyperventilation. Please look at the map. The park will lose some property to the expansion, but that loss would have almost no impact on operation or viability.

Some opponents say increased traffic on 312th Street would severely limit resident access to the park. Where is the data to support this supposition? I have yet to see anything more than speculation on this issue.

Some opponents say there will be limited development potential on 28th Avenue South. What specific limitation might this be?

Finally, true or not, how do any of these impacts outweigh the city’s need to support traffic growth? No one wants their neighborhood negatively impacted, but at some point, the needs of the city must take precedence.

Richard Wetjen, Federal Way