Agreed. For the reasons you state, it is impossible that this will ever be built. To your list I would add that the political will of the gullible electorate ran out a long time ago on this project, and the environmental and eminent domain lawsuits in the urban areas would take years and years and billions in attorneys fees
“... take years and years and billions in attorneys fees ...”
I think that you may have hit upon something there ... considering all the lawfare that has gone on for the last decade, it appears that this project is a very successful gambit for transferring dollars from the taxpayers to many in the legal profession. So of course there is no interest by the legal beagles to stop the gravy train pardon the pun.