Posted on 08/11/2014 7:40:42 AM PDT by george76
The cost of the high-speed rail project might be going above the current estimate of $68 billion.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority recently announced a strategic shift to consider an alternative for its 40-mile Palmdale-to-Burbank link. Instead of the current plan of running it parallel to the Palmdale Freeway, the new line would run through a tunnel under the San Gabriel Mountains.
According to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who has advanced the idea, the tunnel would be about 15 miles long.
...
its possible to calculate a rough very rough estimate. Lets start with something we know: the tunneling cost for the proposed extension of the Long Beach 710-Freeway: $6 billion for a 4.9-mile segment, which works out to $1.22 billion per mile.
As mentinoned, the San Gabriel Mountain tunnel link for high-speed rail would be 15 miles long. If it costs as much do dig that tunnel as the 710 freeway extension, that would be $1.22 billion per mile, or $18.3 billion total (15 miles X $1.22 billion per mile = $18.3 billion.)
(Excerpt) Read more at calwatchdog.com ...
Long tunnels in earthquake country; what could possibly go wrong?
Pretty crummy reporting, specially for an article "critical" of the boondoggle.
Somewhere in the introduction, the soaring costs should be contrasted to the "estimated cost" when the ridiculous plan was sold to the California taxpayer. What was that? Well, you better not ask. because no normal human being could possibly understand the Bullshit*.
(in year-of-expenditure dollars)
Try to figure THAT one out.
I neglected to add this...
I haven't seen $30 an hour union rates for laborers that low since the '60s...
Today, and for the next 15 years, that wouldn't even cover cost the union membership dues! (aka Union Fatcats political slush fund)
I personally, am Shocked
Who could have predicted this?
My first thought also.
Dumb idea
We could shuttle people to the booming metropolis of Fresno to the other booming megalopolis of Bakersfield in RECORD TIME for only 1.22 billion dollar per mile. What a deal.
It's also a land bank that politicians can manipulate to favor their moneyed cronies at the expense of the public.
“Tunnel crew...you can figure union rates at $30 an hour.”
$30 an hour?? This isn’t 1965.
Try more like $130 an hour, all told; and “Welcome” to the 21st Century.
“You could milk this till the cows come home.”
That could be a really long time if they have to take the train.
Hey, it was funny when I started typing it.
The whole idea is to spend as much money as possible. This is a construction union full employment program, a payoff by the California Democrats to one of their pet constituencies.
Tell them that it’s a tunnel to blow up the largest synagogue in Los Angeles and they could probably get the Saudis to pay for the whole thing.
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