The Cost of the new Bay Bridge has reputedly quintupled. Of course this is all due to rising steel costs (Cough Cough Hack Hack). After raising bridge tolls one dollar to engage in all kinds of feeley good liberal transit projects they're talking of raising the bay toll another dollar. Great, swell it's not like that 3rd dollar could actually be used to do that, or wait wasn't the second dollar supposed to go for paying for seisemic retrofitting and all that great and swell jazz. And wait you thought the bridges were going to be free when they first built them didn't you. I've long thought the Bay Bridge II was just a waste of time anyways, why demolish the first one, if an Earthquake comes that knocks down the original Bay Bridge there will be a lot more to worry about than just those on the bridge. Seriously, the big mistake is getting rid of the original Eastern Span, just have the old bridge merge into 280 and the new span (and a new Western Span) merge into the existing framework, it'd be a nice idea, but it'd never happen.
Posted by Joel at July 31, 2004 09:47 PM | TrackBackBoy, am I glad I only have to contend with the GG Bridge on a regular basis! Actually, though, If the Big One comes, and come it will, we will need every bridge in the Bay Area intact. The rest of the infrastructure as well. I think the retrofit is less about the safety of the people on the bridge when a quake hits, and more about the ability to keep the infrastructure intact. But yeah, an increase always sucks. Just be grateful you don't live in New York. Three years ago I paid six bucks to get to Staten Island on the Verrazano Narrows bridge.
Posted by: Mark D. Firestone at August 1, 2004 08:33 AM (Permalink)If it isn't on the list of Big Lies it oughta be:
"Once the (bridge/highway/several new schools) is paid for, the (tolls/tax hike) will go away."
Posted by: McGehee at August 1, 2004 09:17 AM (Permalink)DId you read any of the stuff about the cost overruns on the Carquinez Bridge? It was unbeliavable ... the project is/was badly in need of an audit. Something was funneling money off in funny ways there.
As for the new toll - I didn't live here when it passed, but I would have voted for it, and I don't mind. It's significantly less, still, than we would pay if we did the Dallas-area thing and adopted toll highways.
Posted by: aphrael at August 1, 2004 10:37 AM (Permalink)Merge into 280? Not going to happen. The stretch of 280 from 6th along the Embarcadero has been taken down. The voters would never approve rebuilding it.
Posted by: aphrael at August 2, 2004 05:43 PM (Permalink)Down here in Mtn. View I get to avoid all the bridges pretty much, since I can go around them, unless I want to go visit my brother up in San Anselmo.
As far as up to $5+billion, I guess that makes dumping $100 million into increasing West Nile salt-marsh mosquito habitat a no-brainer. Do it for the children?
My uncle is a Civil Engineer dealing in Marine projects (read: very-very large-scale-stuff) and was on the Bay Bridge two days after the '89 quake with a bunch of other engineers. He brought back and showed me a sheared-off rivet head from it - the size of my fist. He's more concerned about all the _other_ old, un-maintained, infrastructure like the dikes, dams, reservoirs, diversions, pumps and floodgates that are throughout the Delta. That they WILL soon fail is already a given, by evidence of the recent failures in progress. An earthquake could have a catastrophic effect.
If you want to see a map of how boringly extensive it is go here:
http://www.delta.ca.gov/water.pdf
I work as an Engineer and can report that the high price of steel is accurate-- it's been cited on many projects being built throughout California. The price hasn't quadrupled yet, so your suspicions about graft might also be true.
Posted by: ScottM at August 5, 2004 11:56 AM (Permalink)Just read in today's Merc that cement is up too, and in somewhat short supply.
Posted by: -keith at August 6, 2004 08:59 AM (Permalink)Keith - Maybe we can buy some from Yasser Arafat.
Posted by: Mark D. Firestone at August 8, 2004 06:03 PM (Permalink)Sure Mark! I'd be happy to buy a couple yards of cement *especially* for him, but he'd just sell it to the Israeli construction companies, like the rest of them.
Posted by: -keith at August 10, 2004 11:14 AM (Permalink)You dont get it, do you? It's all about the manatees. Seems that years ago we were visited by a higher life form that told us manatees would provide us with the occams razor to get through the morasse of life, and Oakland mayor Jerry Brown is the channeler for these fine blubberous sea creatures.
Dont fight it; just let go, and let them guide us.
Manatee update. It appears that Newsom is importing Manatee meat from Iceland for his restaurants. Call him if you care!
Holy cow-like creatures! I just ate at a little taqueria in the Mission district in San Francisco, and they have manatee shakes! Shouldn't complain, though; it was quite tasty.
Might change my stance on manatees if I can find a tasty manatee in solid form. But until then, stay united on protecting the manatee!