To the editor:

Sen. Pat Roberts has included $l.5 million in funds for the South Lawrence Trafficway in a recently passed federal transportation bill. How appropriate. This bill is a classic example of pork barrel legislation which funds projects in order to win votes for the politicians who support the bill.

As pointed out by the Journal-World (“Road to nowhere may be going places,” Nov. 20), this amount is a mere $l08.5 million less than is needed to build the trafficway. The same article quotes Steve Swartz of KDOT, who reports that the department has not included any money in its comprehensive transportation plan to complete the project, and who was “surprised to learn of the funding.” Sen. Roberts, in his haste to append his request to the bill, apparently did not even take time to consult with the state transportation agency – yet another ill-advised attempt to revive the ill-conceived trafficway.

The SLT is a boondoggle that has become mired in the quicksand of its own indefensibility. How about spending that $110 million on education or health care? Isn’t that more important than being able to travel at 70 miles per hour between points A and B?

Larry Maxey,

Lawrence