Posted on 05/22/2012 1:12:17 PM PDT by matt04
After years of planning, state officials are scheduled to break ground on a rebranded, half billion-dollar Hartford-to-New Britain bus-only corridor, the only one in Connecticut.
Once known as the busway, the 9.4-mile route has been rebranded and is now called CTfastrak. Judd Everhart, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said busway was never the official name of the project, but was used as short hand.
Everhart said the name CTfastrak describes a new type of public transit, combining fast transportation free of traffic similar to rail travel with the flexibility and direct service of a bus.
The state is expected to pay $112 million for its share of the $567 million price tag.
Critics said it's too costly and felt ridership will fall short of projections.
(Excerpt) Read more at wfsb.com ...
They should have named it the “CDmoneygointothepocketsofDemocrats”.
9 miles.
9 flippin’ miles?!?!
jeeez....
Buses and FAST don’t mix
Half a BILLION for a bus corridor? Stupid.
Its clear that the cost of Gov’t is out of control.
In 2012 dollars, using the US Govt inflation calculator - building the entire Hoover Dam cost slightly more than half a billion dollars.
Now that amount only buys you a 9 mile road in Connecticut.
These stories with their breathless hype and oceans of euphemisms read like satire - or North Korean or East German newspapers.
No wonder I can't get my street paved...
These stories with their breathless hype and oceans of euphemisms read like satire - or North Korean or East German newspapers.
How many buses do we need to carry people who don’t work to places where there aren’t any jobs?
Why am I reminded of the old SNL skit with “Chaz the spaz” and “Dial a toast” at the school science fair?
Half a billion dollars worth, apparently.
Yup, all for a road that will only allow buses on it. At least police and other emergency services could probably use it, but that won’t pay for its upkeep, never mind the initial costs. Then there is winter cleanup . . .
The ground breaking should actually be considered a crime scene. Connecticut taxpayers are being robbed so a few people can ride buses alongside minor-league rush hour traffic. Despicable.
I should have just said “taxpayers” since only $112M is coming from the Nutmeggers.
Let’s take a look at it from a couple of perspectives, since it seems to be a done deal.
First, from a ridership perspective. Sounds like it was designed to address a commutation issue. So, let’s say three hours morning primetime and three hours evening primetime, serving essentially the same group of commuters. The buses run every “three to six minutes” according to the DOT. Figure, what, 50 people per bus? Let’s say 75 just to be sure. 180 primetime minutes, divided by one-bus-every-3-minutes is a total of 60 bus runs during primetime. Times 75 people per run. That’s a total possible primetime ridership, one way, of 4500 people. Those same individuals will be coming home at night, so we’ll double it to 9000 primetime per day. Add another, what, 2000?, non primetime riders and we get 11,000 riders each day. 11,000 into $500 MILLION gives us an expenditure of $45,454 per rider. Hmmmm.
We could also look at the jobs created. The CTDOT website indicates that the project will be completed by 2014, so the construction jobs created would last a total of 2 years. Other jobs, like maintenance of buses and drivers will continue, but won’t be counted in the $500 MILLION. Gov. Malloy indicates the creation of 4100 jobs due to the project. Figure 1/3 of the project expenditures are materials, and profits at 10%. That leaves us 57% of $500mm, or $285 MILLION for “jobs”. $285,000,000/4100/2 years = avg $34,750 per job per year. Whoops! Forgot things like Insurance and Taxes and Union Dues...looks like those 4100 “jobs” are going to pay a lot less than that.
This is absurd. The bridges and roads that serve the other 3.5 MILLION citizens of the state are falling apart, and we would ALL benefit a lot more that the few who ride the bus between New Britain and Hartford...
They only broke ground, so don’t say “done deal” just yet. People thought that the “Access To The Region’s Core” rail tunnels from New Jersey to New York, including the new six-track deep-level station, were also a “done deal”, and there was even a groundbreaking ceremony for the project—right up to the point when Chris Christie canceled it.
Could have been worse. Could have been high speed rail.
More and more.
Buses are certainly a wiser alternative to high-speed rail but a dedicated corridor such as this is typical government overkill and a testament to politicians' never-ending desire to leave a "legacy."
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