Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Council to Throw Brake on Trolley Extension?
There are rumblings that County Council members are having reservations about approving more money for the North Shore Connector in what could be the project’s “11th hour”. On July 13th, the Port Authority Board is scheduled to vote on accepting a bid that would get the project started in September. The Feds have given their blessing, with a 60-day Congressional review period likely a mere formality.
The Council is getting its back up because it will have to authorize an additional $1.5 million to keep its share of the match in line with rising costs, which will likely not be the end of cost increases. No doubt that Council has been hearing from voters that the project is a boondoggle and does absolutely nothing to alleviate the traffic woes of those outside the extension area.
For certain, Council could have acted in 2004 when $71 million was shifted from other regional projects to the Connector.
So what happens if the project falls apart if Council decides not to acquiesce? All we have heard—most recently from PAT’s chairman—is that the Federal government might come and ask for its $40 million investment back that it spent in the planning process. Really? As far as we know, the next time the Federal government asks for planning dollars back will be the first time. And, if it were to happen, that might not be such a bad deal in the long run to save on the logistical and economic nightmares that the Connector will place into the region’s lap. And taxpayers would save about $160 million (from the shifted money and the state and local matches) in funds that could be used for needed highway purposes.
Let’s hope that Council’s awareness helps to thwart this project as every argument made for its construction is pure tripe.
The Council is getting its back up because it will have to authorize an additional $1.5 million to keep its share of the match in line with rising costs, which will likely not be the end of cost increases. No doubt that Council has been hearing from voters that the project is a boondoggle and does absolutely nothing to alleviate the traffic woes of those outside the extension area.
For certain, Council could have acted in 2004 when $71 million was shifted from other regional projects to the Connector.
So what happens if the project falls apart if Council decides not to acquiesce? All we have heard—most recently from PAT’s chairman—is that the Federal government might come and ask for its $40 million investment back that it spent in the planning process. Really? As far as we know, the next time the Federal government asks for planning dollars back will be the first time. And, if it were to happen, that might not be such a bad deal in the long run to save on the logistical and economic nightmares that the Connector will place into the region’s lap. And taxpayers would save about $160 million (from the shifted money and the state and local matches) in funds that could be used for needed highway purposes.
Let’s hope that Council’s awareness helps to thwart this project as every argument made for its construction is pure tripe.
