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Re: Dumbarton History/Dumbarton Options and Navigation access issues....tunnel is looking better
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 12-22-2018 - 18:02
> It's been 10 years since the HSR bonds passed, how many "usable" components, segments, or
> projects have been completed so far....? It's was time for Plan B, about 6 or 7 years ago.
It was time for "Plan B" the day after Quentin Kopp joined the project management.
Hell, maybe even way before that, as he was involved in writing the absurdly flawed proposition that he later helped sell to the public. Much of the problem at CAHSR was the inevitable consequence of the straight jacket put upon its planners and engineers by that proposition - and those politicians who wrote it.
Too many stupid grandiose decisions were already decided by non-qualified high level hotshot politicians; long before any qualified planner or engineer was ever involved. And then were written into the law, which then put the straight-jacket around any honest planner or engineer.
Before that, Mr. Kopp screwed up BART's SFO extension project the very same way - by forcing his grandiose nonsense on BART, CalTrans and airport planners; which caused some very elegant transfer arrangements between BART, CalTrain and the Airport People Mover, to be scrapped; and worse yet, by his grandiose quadrupling of project costs up and down the line.
Moreover, as a result of those serious cost overruns, BART needed more federal and state funds to complete the project, which additional federal grants were initially opposed by the airline lobby. With two votes short of approval in Congress, Mr. Kopp helped broker a deal with that lobby group, resulting in passage. (Mysterious how that works ain't it)
However, in return for their support, BART had to agree to pay the airport an access fee for every passenger brought in or out, just as the airlines do; which of course jacks up BART fares to pay for it. Now just how many kinds of STUPID was that!
It would have been better for Mr. Kopp to forego the grant and drop all the nonsense that made it necessary. And they think they know better how to spend my money than I Do!
But all that turned out to be mere warm-up exercise compared to the Billions-for-no-benefit-whatsoever CAHSR fiasco.
> projects have been completed so far....? It's was time for Plan B, about 6 or 7 years ago.
It was time for "Plan B" the day after Quentin Kopp joined the project management.
Hell, maybe even way before that, as he was involved in writing the absurdly flawed proposition that he later helped sell to the public. Much of the problem at CAHSR was the inevitable consequence of the straight jacket put upon its planners and engineers by that proposition - and those politicians who wrote it.
Too many stupid grandiose decisions were already decided by non-qualified high level hotshot politicians; long before any qualified planner or engineer was ever involved. And then were written into the law, which then put the straight-jacket around any honest planner or engineer.
Before that, Mr. Kopp screwed up BART's SFO extension project the very same way - by forcing his grandiose nonsense on BART, CalTrans and airport planners; which caused some very elegant transfer arrangements between BART, CalTrain and the Airport People Mover, to be scrapped; and worse yet, by his grandiose quadrupling of project costs up and down the line.
Moreover, as a result of those serious cost overruns, BART needed more federal and state funds to complete the project, which additional federal grants were initially opposed by the airline lobby. With two votes short of approval in Congress, Mr. Kopp helped broker a deal with that lobby group, resulting in passage. (Mysterious how that works ain't it)
However, in return for their support, BART had to agree to pay the airport an access fee for every passenger brought in or out, just as the airlines do; which of course jacks up BART fares to pay for it. Now just how many kinds of STUPID was that!
It would have been better for Mr. Kopp to forego the grant and drop all the nonsense that made it necessary. And they think they know better how to spend my money than I Do!
But all that turned out to be mere warm-up exercise compared to the Billions-for-no-benefit-whatsoever CAHSR fiasco.
