The idea of abandoning the Tramp Harbor/Dockton Road is ridiculous and insensitive to the transportation needs of Maury Island and Vashon residents.

This stretch of road is very similar in many ways to the beachfront road running from Burton to Shawnee: Steep slopes, hillside drainage and even more exposure to high tides driven by southwest winds.

King County has done a commendable job along this stretch of beach road by installing a formidable rip-rap seawall and, recently, a well-done drainage system.

So what’s the difference?

Engineering-wise, the same approach could be done along the Tramp Harbor road, and it is most definitely doable.

Have the county engineers given up or are they incompetent? This work for 4,500 feet of rip-rap seawall, with hillside drainage, could easily be done for less than $2 million by a private contractor. The county should lobby for some stimulus money, if they don’t have it already. Should our property taxes cover this?

Of course, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will squawk about it, because it would mean reclaiming about eight feet of beach, but that can be mitigated with beach enhancement somewhere else on Vashon/Maury. No hazard to navigation and DDES would love to collect the fees.

A “viewing trail” or bicycle path is eco-sensitivity run amuck. It might benefit a few but would seriously compromise many.

— Michael Bradley