Comments on: The Morning Dig: High-Speed Turmoil Edition http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/12/04/the-morning-dig-high-speed-turmoil-edition/ America Under Construction Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:00:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: jim harper http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/12/04/the-morning-dig-high-speed-turmoil-edition/comment-page-1/#comment-10822 jim harper Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:39:42 +0000 http://www.infrastructurist.com/?p=6147#comment-10822 Rafael makes a good point. There are public works projects that are not "make work" but which don't require a lot of advance planning. The problem is that you have to have a lot of them to make it work. President Obama's weatherization idea falls in that category. The payback on those kinds of things (so long as they are at least semi- rationally chosen) are huge. A lot of people forget that utility costs are typically 25% of mortgage costs, with all of the bucks being below-the-line after-tax dollars. Simple things like better seals around electrical outlets really add up. God forbid someone write an expose of three or four cases of graft or goldbricking on such projects. That's enough to discredit the entire scheme in the eyes of the public. The overall political resistance to a WPA or CCC type project is huge. Privatization is like a mantra now. In my area they even have a privatized national park, complete with GAO reports examining in great detail why the privatized park doesn't make any money. Reversing that mindset for something as prosaic as large scale weatherization projects would be difficult. The Desert Xpress is a good example of the mindset. About the only thing in its favor is that its private (at least for the time being). Everything else doesn't work. Rafael makes a good point. There are public works projects that are not “make work” but which don’t require a lot of advance planning. The problem is that you have to have a lot of them to make it work. President Obama’s weatherization idea falls in that category. The payback on those kinds of things (so long as they are at least semi- rationally chosen) are huge. A lot of people forget that utility costs are typically 25% of mortgage costs, with all of the bucks being below-the-line after-tax dollars. Simple things like better seals around electrical outlets really add up. God forbid someone write an expose of three or four cases of graft or goldbricking on such projects. That’s enough to discredit the entire scheme in the eyes of the public.

The overall political resistance to a WPA or CCC type project is huge. Privatization is like a mantra now. In my area they even have a privatized national park, complete with GAO reports examining in great detail why the privatized park doesn’t make any money. Reversing that mindset for something as prosaic as large scale weatherization projects would be difficult.

The Desert Xpress is a good example of the mindset. About the only thing in its favor is that its private (at least for the time being). Everything else doesn’t work.

]]> By: John http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/12/04/the-morning-dig-high-speed-turmoil-edition/comment-page-1/#comment-10808 John Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:08:16 +0000 http://www.infrastructurist.com/?p=6147#comment-10808 I like the idea of the Desert Xpress, but I really wish planners would connect it in some way with the statewide HSR project. As it stands now, the line to Las Vegas relys on passengers making a long drive from the LA Area. I like the idea of the Desert Xpress, but I really wish planners would connect it in some way with the statewide HSR project. As it stands now, the line to Las Vegas relys on passengers making a long drive from the LA Area.

]]> By: Rafael http://www.infrastructurist.com/2009/12/04/the-morning-dig-high-speed-turmoil-edition/comment-page-1/#comment-10759 Rafael Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:14:24 +0000 http://www.infrastructurist.com/?p=6147#comment-10759 (A) The California High Speed Rail Authority as rescinded its self-certification of only the Bay Area to Central Valley portion of its program level environmental impact report, in response to a court ruling that it did not comply with California's strict CEQA law on four specific counts. In practical terms, the biggest issue is that Union Pacific isn't willing to sell a slice of its lightly used right of way between south San Jose and Gilroy, citing safety and liability concerns. An accidental <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_7691056" rel="nofollow">coal spill</a> had led to a follow-on derailment of a light rail train running on adjacent tracks in Littleton, CO two years ago. No-one was hurt, but a similar incident involving an HSR train at 150mph could be catastrophic. CHSRA is now looking to acquire a new right of way near the one UPRR owns. By law, tracks have to be fully grade separated at speeds above 125mph, so they wouldn't be adjacent anyhow. A freight or commuter train would have to suffer a major derailment and knock out one of the supports of the elevated HSR tracks before any follow-on accident could occur. (B) If Pres. Obama wants construction workers on the job quickly, one option would be to invest in measures that will reduce the human and financial toll of future natural disasters. Examples: - offer generous eminent domain against homeowners who recently lost their property to a natural disaster, rather than handing them FEMA grants them to rebuild at the same dangerous location. Require that property taken this way be permanently restricted to parks and other public uses. - where this is not possible, modify FEMA reconstruction grants to require designs that can cope with a similar disaster in the future, e.g. floating houses or houses on sufficiently sturdy stilts - provide grants for seismic retrofits of at-risk properties, if performed by certified professionals - provide grants for retrofitting intact beachfront properties with grade-level walls that collapse in the event of a hurricane storm surge, to protect the upper floors - provide grants to clear undergrowth and cut fire breaks in areas prone to wildfires close to residential homes - purchase additional equipment and hire additional people to fight wildfires - provide grants to inspect and maintain existing levees along rivers prone to flooding - provide grants to fix leaks and install drip irrigation systems on farms plus residential properties in regions at risk of drought Etc. The idea is to fund lots of little projects that don't involve years of planning and environmental reviews yet deliver obvious lasting value. Another make-work strategy is to invest in creating and maintaining trails etc. in National and State Parks, in addition to the fire-related work . That helped a lot of families through the Great Depression, it could do the same today. Of course, public transportation and bridge maintenance/replacement projects that really are shovel-ready should go ahead as well. So should shovel-ready project to maintain/replace water purification, distribution plus sewage collection and processing plants. (A) The California High Speed Rail Authority as rescinded its self-certification of only the Bay Area to Central Valley portion of its program level environmental impact report, in response to a court ruling that it did not comply with California’s strict CEQA law on four specific counts. In practical terms, the biggest issue is that Union Pacific isn’t willing to sell a slice of its lightly used right of way between south San Jose and Gilroy, citing safety and liability concerns.

An accidental coal spill had led to a follow-on derailment of a light rail train running on adjacent tracks in Littleton, CO two years ago. No-one was hurt, but a similar incident involving an HSR train at 150mph could be catastrophic. CHSRA is now looking to acquire a new right of way near the one UPRR owns. By law, tracks have to be fully grade separated at speeds above 125mph, so they wouldn’t be adjacent anyhow. A freight or commuter train would have to suffer a major derailment and knock out one of the supports of the elevated HSR tracks before any follow-on accident could occur.

(B) If Pres. Obama wants construction workers on the job quickly, one option would be to invest in measures that will reduce the human and financial toll of future natural disasters.

Examples:
- offer generous eminent domain against homeowners who recently lost their property to a natural disaster, rather than handing them FEMA grants them to rebuild at the same dangerous location. Require that property taken this way be permanently restricted to parks and other public uses.
- where this is not possible, modify FEMA reconstruction grants to require designs that can cope with a similar disaster in the future, e.g. floating houses or houses on sufficiently sturdy stilts
- provide grants for seismic retrofits of at-risk properties, if performed by certified professionals
- provide grants for retrofitting intact beachfront properties with grade-level walls that collapse in the event of a hurricane storm surge, to protect the upper floors
- provide grants to clear undergrowth and cut fire breaks in areas prone to wildfires close to residential homes
- purchase additional equipment and hire additional people to fight wildfires
- provide grants to inspect and maintain existing levees along rivers prone to flooding
- provide grants to fix leaks and install drip irrigation systems on farms plus residential properties in regions at risk of drought

Etc. The idea is to fund lots of little projects that don’t involve years of planning and environmental reviews yet deliver obvious lasting value.

Another make-work strategy is to invest in creating and maintaining trails etc. in National and State Parks, in addition to the fire-related work . That helped a lot of families through the Great Depression, it could do the same today.

Of course, public transportation and bridge maintenance/replacement projects that really are shovel-ready should go ahead as well. So should shovel-ready project to maintain/replace water purification, distribution plus sewage collection and processing plants.

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