Re:Why We Can’t Figure Out Why Infrastructure Is So Expensive
by h2odragon on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @06:56PM
(#20520920)
3 miles? Awesome. Gravel or paved?
The Army Corps of Engineers gets involved because your ditches are wetlands, I'm going to guess. You might have a window open right now to redo them, best check.
Re:Why We Can’t Figure Out Why Infrastructure Is So Expensive
by schoolboard on Thursday July 25, 2019 @11:09AM
(#20526022)
Double plus to the wetland issue. I'm a pretty lefty environmentalist guy, but after building a house and having a wife on city council for a small town, I've realized that the Clean Water Act was essentially a huge government taking of land. Virtually every ditch is now considered a Wetland if you apply the rules literally, which puts it under the Army Corps of Engineers Wetlands guidance. States are federally required to develop regulations around this. Our town has to file for wetlands permits to MOW the ditches.
Imagine any project from the past that would go through anything wet: national highway system, national parks trails, Appalachian trail. None could be built today.
Re:Why We Can’t Figure Out Why Infrastructure Is So Expensive
by megabl8 on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @08:28PM
(#20521537)
> You have no idea how costly maintaining a road (any road) is.
And after your comment, I still do not. Telling us might help.
Re:Why We Can’t Figure Out Why Infrastructure Is So Expensive
by Steltek on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @08:49PM
(#20521648)
MassDOT recently published their capital budget with a little more fanfare than usual, to soothe Red Line passengers hurting from the recent derailment perhaps. It included $3 billion in major repaving efforts but that seems to have gone without challenge. However the Green Line Extension is barely alive politically on their $2.4B capital budget.
Likewise, a nearby overpass on Rt 128 was repaired for $30M.
Highways eat money but when Massachusetts looks to obvious transit improvements, suddenly cost is a major concern.
I own, jointly with others, a 3 mile long road.
If there could be only two things that I impressed upon someone, in relation to this road, they would be the following:
1) You have no idea how costly maintaining a road (any road) is. I didn't. I had no idea. Whatever libertarian fantasies you may harbor about private people coming together to create and maintain anything like first world infrastructure, I am sorry to dash them: we have a group of 20 or so rich, well-educated, smart and hard-working people and it's right at the edge of our capabilities to keep this 3 mile long road in semi-acceptable condition.
2) The difference between doing a safe, reasonable, environmentally responsible and long term fix and doing that very same fix but 100% by the book is a cost difference of 3x to 4x. There are minor drainage fixes we've looked into that required, no shit, the army corps of engineers to be consulted along with several other county and state regulatory and environmental agencies. After paying a third party firm to create an environmental impact report. Do you understand that I am talking about fixing a ditch ? The army corps of engineers.
I did not, above, refer to "excessive regulation" because I am not ready nor willing to define that and I don't want to take a political stand on it - I am merely pointing out that the first thought you should be having on this issue is: regulations.