Metrorail Fatality

[kjb434]

I'm going to say it again, in Houston and in many large cities people drive selfishly. It's all about them and where they are going and no concern for someone else. This causes many people to not pay attention to the signs and dangers of driving. I think we are all little guilty of this sometimes. I know I am. I've gotten better.

A good example is the Transtar message boards on our freeways. How many people really pay attention to it and change there driving because of it. I know when the sign says an accident up ahead I usually exit a ways before it to bypass all the backed up traffic. The feeder road or a parallel roadway will usually move faster.

About the three hundred million. I'm wrong on that. The three hundred million is the amount the cost went up. It's actually $2.67billion (WAY OFF!) But is still stands when you break it out per lane mile that is it cheaper. And yes, I'm considering in passenger volume. Whenever comparing different forms of transit, it is imperative to compare them on some even plane. The best way to do that is on the amount of people it is possible to move. The rail would be a max number people per car and as many rail cars you can facility on the tracks. The Katy freeway gets to used the buses in the managed lanes which brings it efficiency way up.

I often thought about is it worth it to spend a lot more on rail just because rail is important to have. I always say YES!! To me the existence of rail does more than just provide a transit but a unifying web to the city. I think rail is important enough that is a good reason we may have lost the Olympic bid by not having enough. I also think rail is important enough that is assisted in winning the Superbowl bid because of what it connected.

I alway justify the cost of rail because of all the other things it makes possible that a freeway can't.

[bruce_oneal]

I'm going to say it again, in Houston and in many large cities people drive selfishly.  It's all about them and where they are going and no concern for someone else.  This causes many people to not pay attention to the signs and dangers of driving.  I think we are all little guilty of this sometimes.  I know I am.  I've gotten better.

A good example is the Transtar message boards on our freeways.  How many people really pay attention to it and change there driving because of it.  I know when the sign says an accident up ahead I usually exit a ways before it to bypass all the backed up traffic.  The feeder road or a parallel roadway will usually move faster.

About the three hundred million.  I'm wrong on that.  The three hundred million is the amount the cost went up.  It's actually $2.67billion (WAY OFF!)  But is still stands when you break it out per lane mile that is it cheaper.  And yes, I'm considering in passenger volume.  Whenever comparing different forms of transit, it is imperative to compare them on some even plane.  The best way to do that is on the amount of people it is possible to move.  The rail would be a max number people per car and as many rail cars you can facility on the tracks.  The Katy freeway gets to used the buses in the managed lanes which brings it efficiency way up.

I often thought about is it worth it to spend a lot more on rail just because rail is important to have.  I always say YES!!  To me the existence of rail does more than just provide a transit but a unifying web to the city.  I think rail is important enough that is a good reason we may have lost the Olympic bid by not having enough.  I also think rail is important enough that is assisted in winning the Superbowl bid because of what it connected.

I alway justify the cost of rail because of all the other things it makes possible that a freeway can't.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

..and let's face it. most of the great cities in this country (new york, chicago, los angeles, san francisco, washington, dc ... dallas/ft. worth) have rail. i am not saying rail MAKES a city great, but it certainly cannot hurt.

[jt16]

News flash: Katy Freeway expansion costs rise again

Remember the good old days when the Katy Freeway expansion project cost a mere $2.2 billion? How young and foolish we all were, back before stories like this started appearing.

The cost of expanding the Katy Freeway has gone up almost another $300 million, according to a state audit that faults the Texas Department of Transportation for failing to "take the necessary and appropriate steps to estimate total project costs."

Auditor John Keel's report notes TxDOT's latest cost estimate is $2.67 billion, up 78 percent from the October 2001 estimate of $1.5 billion. The last estimate released by TxDOT was $2.4 billion.

"TxDOT faces a significant risk that costs will continue to rise above the $2.67 billion March 2005 estimate for total projects costs." Keel warns in his Tuesday report to Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, which was publicly released Wednesday. "The Legislature may wish to require TxDOT to design a standard model so that it could estimate project costs more accurately."

Do I hear three billion? Three billion, anyone?

And since I started making that silly calculation last time, I'll update it to note that at a total cost of $2.67 billion, this project is costing $2107 per inch.

Keel criticizes TxDOT for basing the 2001 Katy expansion estimate on preliminary engineering work and failing to update the projection as further design work revealed substantially higher costs. He cites about $100 million added after the department determined it would need to rebuild the Beltway 8 interchange to accommodate the four High Occupancy Toll lanes being built in the center of the freeway.

According to the report, the highway department did not originally include $56 million for moving Houston water and sewer lines, failed to include the project's administrative costs of more than $100 million, didn't adjust costs for inflation or include contingencies to cover rising materials prices.

The auditor identifies another $121 million in unanticipated cost increases for land needed to widen the freeway, and suggests transportation officials raced to get the bulldozers out there before having the necessary right of way.

"TxDOT did not follow its standard practice of purchasing the majority of right of way before letting contracts," the report states. "TxDOT made a decision to forgo acquiring right of way in advance in order to manage the project on an accelerated construction schedule."

[...]

Keel issued several recommendations to the Legislature for mandating better cost controls at the highway department on future projects. He also cited changes needed in expediting the state's ability to take property needed for these major infrastructure upgrades.

His suggestions include expanding jurisdiction for right of way condemnations in Harris County to include state district courts in addition to county courts. Legal delays mean only 57 percent of needed parcels along I-10 have been acquired despite nearly all construction contracts' having been let.

[TxDOT Commissioner Ric] Williamson blames landowners for bogging down the process in a bid to get more money.

Now, I know that eminent domain is a necessary tool of government. I don't know much about the particulars here, but I could be persuaded that a little streamlining of the system is in order. It should be possible to give everyone a fair shake while still keeping the system moving.

That said, I think Ric Williamson has a hell of a nerve blaming displaced property owners for his problems. This situation was entirely foreseeable. It's a big part of the reason why critics like the Katy Corridor Coalition agitated to reduce the footprint of the Katy renovation - less property to take means lower costs, less time spent in court, and a better outcome for everyone. And not to put too fine a point on it, but I thought respect for private property was supposed to be a conservative principle. At least now we know where it stands when put in conflict with the roadbuilding industry and its generous campaign contributions.

UPDATE: Greg chips in his two cents.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on March 31, 2005 to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | TrackBack

[kjb434]

Yes,

The eminent domain rules can be updated to still be fair to the landowners. Also, the Katy Corridor Coalition has a concept that would be have been cheaper on land cost. The construction costs would have been higher, but there is more certainty in the construction costs than the the property costs.

The property accquisition is always a tricky part when freeways or any roadway is widened beyond its current ROW. TxDOT could have not experienced as many headaches the original planner for freeways outside of the I-610 loop would have bought larger right of ways. I-45 suffers from small right of ways in many sections too. US59 was lucky when it was built to have a wide ROW, but at the time is was one of the busier roads and I-10 was very rural outside of I-610.

I think this is now a pain TxDOT and taxpayers will have to endure. Sucks, but the project is already underway.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

According to www.katyfreeway.org, the Katy Freeway serves 219,000 vehicles per day. That's only 1.6% of the total trips in Harris County each day. (Based on 13,477,583 trips per day, from http://www.houstonbuscar.com/docs/BusCARre...e24-8-26-03.doc)

So we're spending $2.67 BILLION, or $133.5 MILLION PER MILE(!) to build a road that serves only 1.6% of the total trips in Houston? And the taxpayers are subsidizing it?!? Call Tom DeLay and John Culberson, they'll be interested to hear this! I bet they shut down highway funding in a heartbeat...By the way, did we have a voter referendum before we spent that $2.67 BILLION?

Our so-called "representatives" are a bunch of hypocrites. My solution? VOTE FOR KINKY! I bet he'll fix things right...

[dbigtex56]

Back to the topic...did any of the media follow up on the results of any blood alcohol tests performed on the deceased? According to the initial reports, the driver had just left the Party On The Plaza downtown.

Wonder if the family will want that to be shut down, too?

[VicMan]

" They should really consider a subway or elevated rail"

Elevated rail could work to the airport(s), but subways are not a good idea due to Houston flooding.