After, once again, battling my way through downtown Sandpoint's traffic gridlock, I would like to thank the Sand Creek Coalition for their efforts in delaying the long overdue Sand Creed Bypass. I'm sure that they cite environmental concerns as a basis for their continuing lawsuits. I would like to point out that the part of Sand Creek in question, is no longer a creek, it is part of Lake Pend Oreille's backwater. The Sand Creek Coalition, by continuing to delay the bypass, has kept Sandpoint in its ever-increasing traffic gridlock, with its slow moving congested traffic. This has served to enhance Sandpoint's air pollution problem.

In my opinion when the bypass is built, the appearance of the whole area will be vastly improved, with the landscaping and public use areas that are included in the project. In short, I believe the whole Sandpoint area will be beautified. The bypass will greatly speed up traffic in the Sandpoint area by routing most of the traffic around Sandpoint. This will also improve traffic safety in Sandpoint. I believe the benefits of having the bypass far outweigh the drawbacks

A.B. KELLOGG

Sandpoint