Richardson proposing east-west freeway

State Rep. and Republican gubernatorial candidate Dennis Richardson pitched an ambitious project at Saturday’s debate hosted by the League of Oregon Cities — a cross-state freeway, from the Port of Coos Bay eastward to Burns and Ontario..

“One long-term proposal that I will be making as governor to promote exports and revitalize the coastal and rural economies of our state is the construction of a freeway from the deep-water port of Coos Bay to Burns to Ontario,” Richardson said.

Aides said they could not provide details on the route but that the idea would be fleshed out as the campaign continues.

Richardson has pitched similar ideas for some time — his 2009 legislative issues survey asked people’s views on the idea, as well as an idea of “expanding Highway 97 into a freeway — from Klamath Falls to the Columbia River.”

Richardson cited numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that say Oregon’s unemployment rate remains higher than the national average, and has been since 1996 during Kitzhaber’s first term. Additionally Oregon recently dropped from 48 th to 49 th in the nation in high school graduation rates.

The next scheduled debate will take place on October 10 th at the Sentinel Hotel, and will be hosted by the City Club of Portland.