I see the bridge at left is a two-track bridge. Is the missing bridge at right for a trail?

1 hour ago, KJP said:

I see the bridge at left is a two-track bridge. Is the missing bridge at right for a trail?

Capital Branch Trail - from Georgetown to Silver Spring, following the old CSX line - once a burned-out bridge is restored.

 

Here's the planned Connecticut crossover:

 

In more “politicians not understanding how federal transit funding” news:

 

Milwaukee aldermen raise prospect of suspending streetcar service, citing funding issues
 

https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/milwaukee-aldermen-raise-prospect-of-suspending-streetcar-service-citing-funding-issues?_amp=true

 

On 10/7/2020 at 4:23 PM, Dougal said:

Capital Branch Trail - from Georgetown to Silver Spring, following the old CSX line - once a burned-out bridge is restored.

 

Here's the planned Connecticut crossover:

 

 

It's worth mentioning that the large bunch of parking lots north of the planned Connecticul Avenue rail station was approved by Montgomery County for high density development premised on the Purple Line's ability to remove traffic from the Avenue. Now, of course the Purple Line is in some kind of indefinite limbo, but the development is being built as fast as possible.  The already-horrendous traffic will be even worse.

On 7/10/2020 at 9:18 AM, Boomerang_Brian said:

Milwaukee: The Couture Developer Secures Financing

 

https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2020/06/26/eyes-on-milwaukee-the-couture-developer-secures-financing/

 

"Barrett Lo Visionary Development has crossed a major milestone for the The Couture. The firm has secured the necessary private financing commitments to advance the 44-story, $122 million apartment tower according to a statement from developer Rick Barrett."

 

Obviously this is a big project for Milwaukee, but even more importantly, this enables the completion of the second streetcar route.  The base of this project will include a new streetcar and bus terminal.  Since the streetcar route goes right through this building, that loop has sat incomplete for about 2 years.

 

 

 

 

The Lakefront Line is the Green line on the map below - the Couture is at the far east end of this, right over the short southbound section.  (The solid blue line is the current streetcar route.)  The gold line with white dots is the next priority, although once it became obvious that they couldn't finish it in time for the DNC their plans may have changed.  The Milwaukee Art Museum (with the stunning Calatrava designed pavilion featuring opening "wings" - it's in the second illustration above) and Milwaukee Discovery World (kids' science museum) are on the lake just across the road from the Couture site and streetcar station.

 

 

Update on Milwaukee Couture apartment tower and transit hub:

 

https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2020/10/26/milwaukee-couture-transit-plaza-deadline-extended-fta/6042740002/

 

A federal deadline is close to being extended for a transit plaza tied to the delayed Couture high-rise on downtown Milwaukee's lakeshore.

 

Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC's application for a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was submitted on Sept. 1, and is still pending before that agency.

 

Barrett Lo submitted the application after it secured investor financing for the apartment tower. The firm can finally begin construction if it receives the HUD loan guarantee.

 

 

 

I saw this strange intersection when I was in Greater Phoenix over the summer. Light rail travels along the primary street and passes right through the center of a roundabout. This allows auto traffic traveling along the primary street to continue uninterrupted while the train is proceeding through the intersection. All 4 right turns are also possible while the gates are down. Only thru traffic on the secondary street and left turns are blocked.

 

I watched this intersection as a few trains passed and it seemed very efficient. A small amount of traffic would queue as the train passed, but as soon as the gates lifted, things were flowing normally again within 30 or 45 seconds.

 

The reconfigured intersection isn't on Google Maps yet, but Valley Metro has a page with more photos and videos including an aerial view.

That's pretty interesting. I watched the video they attached. The only qualm I have about the design is that the bike lanes end right before the roundabout, and you're forced to exit the roadway and cross at crosswalks like a pedestrian. This seems completely unnecessary, and they should find a way to allow the bicyclists to merge into the rest of traffic through the roundabout and be treated as a normal vehicle. I highly doubt many cyclists exit the roadway to essentially become pedestrians to get through the roundabout. 

 

Did the sidewalks have expanded widths at the roundabout so bicyclists could continue riding, or were they expected to get off their bike and walk the sidewalks @taestell?

Traffic circles and bike lanes generally don't mix.  If you are riding a mountain bike in the city you can literally bike over the center of the traffic circle which gives you a spot to rest and time your next move across traffic.  If you're on a city-type bike you kind of rough it around the outside edge like a little kid clinging to the side of the pool.  If you're on a road bike it's a true pain because you're clipped in and you will fall over if you have to make a sudden stop or evasive maneuver.  

 

The people who like traffic circles tend to look like traffic circles.  Just like how music critics like Elvis Costello because they tend to look like Elvis Costello.  

It looks like they built ramps between the street and sidewalks where the bike lane ends, so cyclists could continue riding onto the sidewalk. I don't remember the sidewalks being extra-wide, but I also didn't see much pedestrian activity in this area which is pretty auto-oriented in its current state. Maybe as new development pops up along this light rail extension they can do a better job of addressing peds and cyclists.

City Council is about to give the final approval for a 3.6 mile expansion of the Kansas City Streetcar, linking Downtown to the Plaza neighborhood and the University of Missouri - Kansas City.

 

It looks like the extension will cost $352 million to build with USDOT kicking in $174 million, roughly half the cost.

 

 

19 hours ago, jmecklenborg said:

Traffic circles and bike lanes generally don't mix.

In the US, yes, in the Netherlands, no: 

 

 

^that's a very low-capacity intersection.  There's really no reason for it to be anything more than a 4-way stop.  It's also level and geometric.  Many traffic circles in the U.S. are on a slope, the roads curve immediately to and from the circle, or there is some other complexity.  For example, the traffic circles on North Bend Rd. near Hebron KY are extremely awkward to ride through on a bike even on a Sunday morning.  If a traffic circle is sloped, so are any bike lanes, which means the bike behaves in a somewhat unpredictable way, just like coasting and braking cars.  

 

The traffic circles that aren't a hassle to ride a bike through are the low-capacity decorative circles like the one near the suspension bridge or the one in Avondale just off Reading.  

5 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

^that's a very low-capacity intersection.  There's really no reason for it to be anything more than a 4-way stop.

 

That intersection should definitely not be a four way stop.

20 hours ago, jmecklenborg said:

The people who like traffic circles tend to look like traffic circles.  Just like how music critics like Elvis Costello because they tend to look like Elvis Costello.  

 

What does this even mean?

Traffic engineers in the US also love to over-complicate roundabouts by making them multiple lanes, and usually having a "spiral" configuration, where if you were to start in the inner lane and do a full loop around, you'd end up in the outer lane. The one above is much more simple and straightforward, I can't imagine it would confuse drivers the way that American roundabout seems to confuse many American drivers.

 

While researching something else the other day, I came across this insane double-roundabout configuration in Eugene, Oregon:

 

^That thing is ridiculous, maybe the intention is that if the intersection is convoluted enough people will slow down? 

 

On-topic- That's awesome for KC, but I can't help but feel jealous that under the right leadership and stewardship our streetcar could be getting extended to Uptown right now...

Edited December 4, 20204 yr by ucgrady

2 hours ago, DEPACincy said:

 

What does this even mean?

 

 

5 hours ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

 

 

I meant the roundabout part.

Florida DOT to fund Tampa Streetcar expansion

 

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has awarded the city of Tampa, Florida, $67.3 million in dedicated funding to support the extension and modernization of the Tampa Streetcar.

 

The modernization project would transform Tampa’s 2.7-mile streetcar system by transitioning it to faster modern vehicles and platforms with level-boarding to improve accessibility. The project also calls for extending the system by 1.3 miles from its western terminus through downtown Tampa to Tampa Heights.

 

The funding was provided through Florida’s New Starts transit program, which funds fixed-route transit projects.

 

MORE:

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/Florida-DOT-to-fund-Tampa-Streetcar-expansion--62250

On 7/10/2020 at 9:18 AM, Boomerang_Brian said:

Milwaukee: The Couture Developer Secures Financing

 

https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2020/06/26/eyes-on-milwaukee-the-couture-developer-secures-financing/

 

"Barrett Lo Visionary Development has crossed a major milestone for the The Couture. The firm has secured the necessary private financing commitments to advance the 44-story, $122 million apartment tower according to a statement from developer Rick Barrett."

 

Obviously this is a big project for Milwaukee, but even more importantly, this enables the completion of the second streetcar route.  The base of this project will include a new streetcar and bus terminal.  Since the streetcar route goes right through this building, that loop has sat incomplete for about 2 years.

 

 

 

 

The Lakefront Line is the Green line on the map below - the Couture is at the far east end of this, right over the short southbound section.  (The solid blue line is the current streetcar route.)  The gold line with white dots is the next priority, although once it became obvious that they couldn't finish it in time for the DNC their plans may have changed.  The Milwaukee Art Museum (with the stunning Calatrava designed pavilion featuring opening "wings" - it's in the second illustration above) and Milwaukee Discovery World (kids' science museum) are on the lake just across the road from the Couture site and streetcar station.

 

 

On 11/10/2020 at 5:34 PM, Boomerang_Brian said:

 

Update on Milwaukee Couture apartment tower and transit hub:

 

https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2020/10/26/milwaukee-couture-transit-plaza-deadline-extended-fta/6042740002/

 

A federal deadline is close to being extended for a transit plaza tied to the delayed Couture high-rise on downtown Milwaukee's lakeshore.

 

Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC's application for a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was submitted on Sept. 1, and is still pending before that agency.

 

Barrett Lo submitted the application after it secured investor financing for the apartment tower. The firm can finally begin construction if it receives the HUD loan guarantee.

 

 

 

Milwaukee Couture and integrated streetcar / BRT transit center has secured HUD loan and will break ground in January.  This one is a LONG time coming - it was first proposed in 2012!

 

https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2020/11/23/eyes-on-milwaukee-couture-to-start-construction-in-january/

 

"Construction is expected to begin in January 2021 on The Couture, a 44-story apartment tower on Milwaukee’s lakefront.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Monday morning that it was awarding a commitment for a $103.5 million loan guarantee to Barrett Lo Visionary Development.

“HUD’s Firm Commitment marks the final financial commitment required for us to begin construction on The Couture,” said developer Rick Barrett in a statement."

 

Other articles:

https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2020/12/07/coutures-downtown-milwaukee-transit-concourse-open-mid-2022/3858490001/

"The Couture's transit concourse for both The Hop streetcar and new Bus Rapid Transit service is to open in mid-2022 — a year before the downtown Milwaukee apartment high-rise is finished.

The concourse will allow completion of The Hop's lakefront loop by connecting parallel tracks on East Michigan and East Clybourn streets, just west of North Lincoln Memorial Drive. That loop is to begin running by June 2022.

The concourse also will provide a new station for the East-West Bus Rapid Transit. The BRT is to begin running between downtown and Wauwatosa's Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in October 2022."

 

 

https://www.cbs58.com/news/the-couture-44-story-skyscraper-and-transit-plaza-to-begin-construction-in-january

 

 

I'm tagging @KJP because I know he's interested in this project and downtown Milwaukee development in general.

 

 

 

Testing is now underway at Sound Transit's extension to Northgate, which adds three new stations northern of the current north terminus (University of Washington), and is expected to open this September. The next extension north to Lynwood will open just 3 years later.

 

 

1 hour ago, taestell said:

Testing is now underway at Sound Transit's extension to Northgate, which adds three new stations northern of the current north terminus (University of Washington), and is expected to open this September. The next extension north to Lynwood will open just 3 years later.

 

 

Keep in mind that the tax to build the first phase of Link light rail from SeaTac to Northgate passed way back in...1996.  It was all supposed to be running by 2005 or so.  Instead it took until 2011 (15 years) to get the first trains running and a full 25 years to build the full Phase 1 advertised to voters back during Clinton's first term.  

 

 

 

I believe everything funded by the first ballot issue (ST1) has been open for awhile. Most of the stuff that's about to open in the next few years was part of the second ballot issue (ST2) that passed in 2008, including the extension from the University of Washington to Lynwood, the East Link route to Bellevue and Redmond, and a small extension south of the airport. They passed a third ballot issue (ST3) in 2016, which includes a variety of projects that aren't expected to be finished until 2041. Needless to say, I am impressed by the PNW's ability to think long-term.

1 hour ago, taestell said:

I believe everything funded by the first ballot issue (ST1) has been open for awhile.

 

The initial tax was supposed to fund the north/south line from SeaTac north to Northgate.  That was shortened to SeaTac to University District (I imagine one station north of the current terminus).   Then even that was eliminated and we only got the southern half in 2009, with I believe a temporary southern terminus at Tuckwilla while the SeaTac station was still being completed since it was on a different contract.  

 

When the tunnel was eventually dug north of downtown, they bypassed the original First Hill station route, which would have caused the route to backtrack slightly and would have added approximately 2 minutes to the run time of every train.  However, they made the 100-year decision to skip one of the densest areas in the city for the benefit of suburbanites...no telling if they would have upzoned First Hill or not...in my opinion it doesn't make sense to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a deep subway station and then not promote the construction of high-density residential within a 2-3 block radius.  

 

There is a lot of negativity in Seattle surrounding Link because the timetable has been ridiculous, transit proponents like First Hill got bypassed, and the whole rest of the region has been paying in this whole time with very little to show for it.  That is all about to change, of course, but it has taken literally 25 years to get to a point that they thought they were going to be at by 2006.  

 

Video of the testing:

 

 

^This extension will open two "real" neighborhood subway stations under medium-dense walkable neighborhoods (similar to Short Vine or Northside in Cincinnati), so the ridership is going to be huge.  Unfortunately the line surfaces at Northgate and will become a series of park-and-ride stations on further extensions. 

 

Also, I briefly looked back at this project history, and they finished digging the subway tunnel with a TBM in Fall of 2016.  So it's going to end up taking five full years from the conclusion of the tunnel boring to the beginning of revenue service. 

Sound Transit is in a pretty interesting dilemma regarding the upcoming new line that will connect downtown to Ballard and West Seattle. There has been a lot of debate about whether to reach those neighborhoods by tunnel or by surface/bridge/viaduct. The tunnel was previously the more expensive option for obvious reasons. However, because property values are rising so much, the surface option is becoming more expensive simply due to eminent domain costs. The tunnel options are looking more and more viable.

34 minutes ago, taestell said:

Sound Transit is in a pretty interesting dilemma regarding the upcoming new line that will connect downtown to Ballard and West Seattle. There has been a lot of debate about whether to reach those neighborhoods by tunnel or by surface/bridge/viaduct. The tunnel was previously the more expensive option for obvious reasons. However, because property values are rising so much, the surface option is becoming more expensive simply due to eminent domain costs. The tunnel options are looking more and more viable.

 

As opposed to cut-and-cover, where stations were almost always built directly beneath and in line with a city street, a bored tunnel does not have to follow the exact path of a street meaning a station box can be located adjacent to a roadway on private property.  A few low-rise buildings are often demolished and a much larger building can be built over the station in the future.  Also, the station box construction does not require under-street utilities to be moved.  

 

For the next two years the federal government will be the most pro-train in the postwar era so we will likely see large grants given to in-development projects like this.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

paper airplane lands on a streetcar:

 

 

 

In Buffalo...

 

Regional transit advocates push back on federal ask for expanded bus service instead of rail

https://www.wbfo.org/local/2021-10-28/regional-transit-advocates-push-back-on-federal-ask-for-expanded-bus-service-instead-of-rail

The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority has issued its 10-year development plan.  Unfortunately it includes no new trackage, but it's a love song to transit-oriented development.  Zoning within a half-mile of rail stations is VERY permissive in the three jurisdictions (DC, MD, and VA) and the parking requirements have been minimized. So it looks like the area will see a lot more building in the neighborhoods of stations. NIMBYs occasionally protest but get only polite attention from the governments.

 

The pity is the trains are pretty full now during rush hours and the stations can't handle longer trains without walking toward the center cars for entry and exit. The system is also dual-tracked, so there is no possibility of express trains. 

 

But the real estate development potential is amazing.  GCRTA should do the same sort of station-by-station study of TOD potential.

 

https://www.wmata.com/business/real-estate/upload/WMATA-10-Year-Strategic-Plan-for-Joint-Development.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_dc&stream=top

A thread...

 

 

These are fun. Although bi-level is generally poor practice for any transit since boarding times are slowed down.

 

Package Tram:

 

The long-awaited downtown light rail subway opens in Los Angeles this week:

 

The interlined underground section will have four underground stations.  Three of them are new; one is from 1990.  The change of style is pretty obvious in this video. 

 

It's really pathetic that it took 40 years for this long-range plan to come to fruition in the country's second-largest city. 

 

The world continues to achieve 

 

 

Looks like Milwaukee finally opened the mini-extension of the streetcar that goes through the high rise Couture development.
 

https://x.com/mikebradleymke/status/1718665612858200405?s=46&t=7i2eCUyWNZMfcPIb8zesTg

 

 

Check out my pics of the area from a couple months ago in the Milwaukee development thread. 

 

Los Angeles gets a $1 billion federal grant toward the $2 billion total cost to build a 1.6-mile elevated people-mover connecting a light rail line with So-Fi Stadium:

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/inglewood-to-receive-more-than-1-billion-in-federal-funding-for-transit-connector-project/

 

This is a horrendous waste of money that would have been a massive scandal anywhere else. 

On 1/6/2024 at 12:57 PM, Lazarus said:

Los Angeles gets a $1 billion federal grant toward the $2 billion total cost to build a 1.6-mile elevated people-mover connecting a light rail line with So-Fi Stadium:

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/inglewood-to-receive-more-than-1-billion-in-federal-funding-for-transit-connector-project/

 

This is a horrendous waste of money that would have been a massive scandal anywhere else. 

 

so is the high speed rail to vegas.

On 1/20/2024 at 8:31 PM, mrnyc said:

 

so is the high speed rail to vegas.

Huh? Brightline West is the best rail project actually happening in the whole country. (Maybe #2 after the Gateway tunnels.) What are you even talking about? 
 

LA-LV is one of the most traveled City pairs in the whole country, and the distance is right in HSR wheelhouse. This project is fantastic. 

34 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

 

LA-LV is one of the most traveled City pairs in the whole country, and the distance is right in HSR wheelhouse. This project is fantastic. 

 

 

One of the oddest things about LA (which is an incredibly weird place) is their obsession with Las Vegas.  Nobody on Planet Earth seems to be more fascinated with Las Vegas than LA people. 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

Huh? Brightline West is the best rail project actually happening in the whole country. (Maybe #2 after the Gateway tunnels.) What are you even talking about? 
 

LA-LV is one of the most traveled City pairs in the whole country, and the distance is right in HSR wheelhouse. This project is fantastic. 

 

lol no its strictly for tourists.

1 hour ago, mrnyc said:

 

lol no its strictly for tourists.

So what if most of the travel is tourists? Trips are trips. Based on some quick searches, 500k people fly LAX to LAS annually and another 275k from Orange County airport. 35,650 people drive it EVERY day, so that’s another 13m annual trips. 14m annual trips is plenty for HSR to be successful with its share of the trips. It will also induce a significant number of trips that otherwise wouldn’t be taken at all. It’s one of the most highly traveled city pairs on the whole country! The business case for this proposal is solid. 

15 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

So what if most of the travel is tourists? Trips are trips. Based on some quick searches, 500k people fly LAX to LAS annually and another 275k from Orange County airport. 35,650 people drive it EVERY day, so that’s another 13m annual trips. 14m annual trips is plenty for HSR to be successful with its share of the trips. It will also induce a significant number of trips that otherwise wouldn’t be taken at all. It’s one of the most highly traveled city pairs on the whole country! The business case for this proposal is solid. 

 

meh. why feed sin city? just about other lines would be more day to day useful for american taxpayers funding rail. i wouldn’t have this one high on a list of priorities.

43 minutes ago, mrnyc said:

 

meh. why feed sin city? just about other lines would be more day to day useful for american taxpayers funding rail. i wouldn’t have this one high on a list of priorities.

Maybe, but other lines don't have private capital willing to put up the majority of the funds. Even following your logic, I feel like you have to account for the fact that from a public funds perspective, this project is heavily discounted. 

 

(The 3 billion grant from the feds represents 25% of their estimated funding per https://www.gosbcta.com/brightline-west-receives-3-billion-in-federal-funding/ )

28 minutes ago, Ethan said:

Maybe, but other lines don't have private capital willing to put up the majority of the funds. Even following your logic, I feel like you have to account for the fact that from a public funds perspective, this project is heavily discounted. 

 

(The 3 billion grant from the feds represents 25% of their estimated funding per https://www.gosbcta.com/brightline-west-receives-3-billion-in-federal-funding/ )

 

 

there's no maybe that $3B isn't going to planning 3C+D or countless other real transit desert projects.

 

btw the latest brightline extension only got under $16M for the new miami to orlando route. and they got nothing this round for a tampa extension, but are proceeding. so again meh, they got money, there is no need to fund vegas with public billions.

43 minutes ago, mrnyc said:

 

 

there's no maybe that $3B isn't going to planning 3C+D or countless other real transit desert projects.

 

btw the latest brightline extension only got under $16M for the new miami to orlando route. and they got nothing this round for a tampa extension, but are proceeding. so again meh, they got money, there is no need to fund vegas with public billions.

I think opening the door to true HSR in the United States is worth it, even if it comes at the expense of bringing (what will likely be) subpar service to areas that (arguably) need it more. 

 

If Brightline West is successful it could have significant knock on effects for US HSR in the near future. While I absolutely want to see 3C+D, I can't say the same thing about it. Best case, realistic scenario I can see from that is getting Michigan level service in a few decades. 

 

Also, we've funded enough studies, if someone is ready to put shovels in the ground I'm all in favor of giving them the money. Successful demonstration/implementation of the technology will do more to speed up the wide scale adoption of HSR in the USA than 1,000 studies. 

 

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I'm more inclined to agree with @Boomerang_Brianon the merits of the route, but even accepting your premise that it's a suboptimal city pair to put public funds towards, I still think it's worth it for the reasons laid out above. 

3 hours ago, Ethan said:

I think opening the door to true HSR in the United States is worth it, even if it comes at the expense of bringing (what will likely be) subpar service to areas that (arguably) need it more. 

 

If Brightline West is successful it could have significant knock on effects for US HSR in the near future. While I absolutely want to see 3C+D, I can't say the same thing about it. Best case, realistic scenario I can see from that is getting Michigan level service in a few decades. 

 

Also, we've funded enough studies, if someone is ready to put shovels in the ground I'm all in favor of giving them the money. Successful demonstration/implementation of the technology will do more to speed up the wide scale adoption of HSR in the USA than 1,000 studies. 

 

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I'm more inclined to agree with @Boomerang_Brianon the merits of the route, but even accepting your premise that it's a suboptimal city pair to put public funds towards, I still think it's worth it for the reasons laid out above. 

 

no, we havent funded enough studies. not at all. there is no environmental study for the ohio route. that would be next, then planning. but that has to be championed by somebody in ohio and walked through.

 

also, it would not be brightline likely in ohio because it wont make them money like specific private lines like la-vegas might. tbd, but thats on them.

 

so you are just taking money away from this kind of thing by pimping for the private la-vegas route.

 

like i said, uncle sam paid very little for florida brightlines, why throw in so hard for this private line at the expense of the public? for example, dallas-houston is the obvious easy hsr i would rank well about vegas for public usefulness. if i was booty i would have pushed money at that. give them the billies $$$ instead of flush fortress investment, which is basically blackrock & sachs mega-xillionaires.

21 hours ago, mrnyc said:

for example, dallas-houston is the obvious easy hsr i would rank well about vegas for public usefulness.

There are no guarantees that a Texas HSR project is actually going to happen, and that has nothing to do with a lack of funding. It's just not far enough along. Additionally, the Federal transportation bill that provides these funds, lasts 5 years at a time. That project is not going to be shovel-ready by the time the bill and its funding expires, so there's no practical way to give the money for BLW instead of Texas HSR. If you insist on that, then the money just sits there and doesn't get used at all. It still needs more planning, which it did get Federal funding for.

28 minutes ago, Dev said:

There are no guarantees that a Texas HSR project is actually going to happen, and that has nothing to do with a lack of funding. It's just not far enough along. Additionally, the Federal transportation bill that provides these funds, lasts 5 years at a time. That project is not going to be shovel-ready by the time the bill and its funding expires, so there's no practical way to give the money for BLW instead of Texas HSR. If you insist on that, then the money just sits there and doesn't get used at all. It still needs more planning, which it did get Federal funding for.

 

yep ohio isnt ready either.