Thursday, July 23, 2009

Big Dig New York Style


For those of you who still have faith in governments being able to do anything efficiently, here is a news item that perhaps will make you rethink your position.
The headlines yesterday in New York City announced that completion of the Second Avenue subway construction project will be delayed till 2016. So far this is not shocking. However some details concerning this project might illustrate why some of us believe in smaller government and a minimum use of unionized labor force.

The construction of this 8.8 miles subway line was announced in 1929, one month before the stock market crash.

Construction didn't begin till 1972

At this point cost estimates are close to 5 billion dollars, which translates to $625,000,000 per mile or $120,000 a foot.

And now my forecast: This line will not be completed till 2029, one-hundred years after construction was announced. The taxpayers will be lucky if the cost is below $15 billion in today's dollars. If you don't believe me, Google Big Dig in Boston.
To think that New York City is managing to screw up this project without Kennedy or Tip O'Neil.

Can anyone say "Government managed health care will lower cost"?


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