In reference to the story on the front page of the King Reporter on Oct. 10, a train over or under north Lake Washington is a smashing idea. And so is a third car bridge – from Sand Point or Magnuson Park to Juanita.

But instead of letting the government monopoly Sound Transit do it, I’d let a private consortium do it, and do it for both trains and cars. Wild idea?  No, its actually been done in France.

There is a beautiful four-lane toll bridge, the “Viaduc de Millau”, in France privately built in 2005 by a Paris-based international consortium. Why can’t the bridge, or tunnel, over north Lake Washington be a private, for profit one? And include trains and cars? The other two bridges across Lake Washington, I-90 and SR 520, are public monopolies – one federal, one state – so why not let a third private one compete?

The for-profit, private consortium in France, Eiffage, built the bridge with private financing and leased it, with toll collection rights, from the French government for 75 years. It was built on time and within budget, something governments never do. The Chicago Skyway outside of Chicago, organized in 2002, is a similarly leased private tollway.

A fourht bridge across Lake Washington might take four years to complete and the car toll might be $50 for the first four years, but then the toll would come down — and in the meantime there’s a natural financial incentive to take the bus.

Further, in the short run we can create water taxis and legalize private ferries across Lake Washington — both passenger and car.

The future of transportation in the Seattle area should be private and toll based, rather than government and gas tax based.

Jeff Jared, Kirkland