Insane costs

[bikkuri bahn]

A figure popped out at me from this article:
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/FTA-recognizes-TriMets-lightrail-project-for-outstanding-achievement--28369

The FTA also recognized the 7.3-mile project’s overall “comprehensive public involvement approach” and detailed web site, they said.

The $1.5 billion light-rail project is scheduled to open in September 2015.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's more than 205 million dollars per mile, for a stinkin' light rail line, something that doesn't require to have tunnels, albeit there is a grandiose suspension bridge on the line.  Figures like this make me understand (though not share) the ire of tea party types.  

[bill937ca]

The project does include a new bridge across the Wilmette River for transit (light rail, future streetcar and three bus lines) plus cyclists and pedestrians.  Often when light rail costs get inflated its because non-transit components are added into the final cost and the project gets sold to the public on a two page PDF.  You figure out how much the bridge is worth.  I say its substantial.

http://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/PMLR_Fact_Sheet_December2010.pdf

[Shashinka]

Yup, welcome to the reason why more and more municipalities are shooting down transit related projects and programs. I won't even get in to the recent projections Bechtel has made in regarding cost overruns for the Silver Line to Dulles Airport here in WMATA land.

[Mudkip Orange]

Yeah, the bridge over the Willamette is basically posturing.

The nearest bridge to the proposed LRT span is the Marquam, which carries 8 lanes of doubledeck freeway using a simple steel box truss. The cable-stayed setup for LRT is entirely unnecessary.

TriMet also gets the tab for rebuilding a couple of positively ancient roadway bridges over McLoughlin.

But the 503 crowd positively worships their light rail. And if you think about it... it makes sense. The skyline isn't really notable. There isn't really any major industry to crow about (other than "we have high-tech and biotech too!") since the timber industry packed up and moved south. Really the only claim to fame Portland has besides the hipsters is "quality of life," i.e. LOOK AT US WE HAVE TRAINS AND URBAN PLANNING.

So it makes sense they build the most expensive "signature" bridge possible for their trains, it reinforces the "green" image (look, a bridge for trains and streetcars and bikes but NO CARS), it fits in with the Portland mythology. Dallas has twice as many miles of track as Portland but they don't need to worship the trains, they have bigger things on which to base a city identity.