Too Much Is Not Enough?
This commentary from MediaNews was published as a guest editorial in the Times- Standard yesterday. It basically explains that, while California spends much more on its freeways and roads than the vast majority of states, our roads still are among the worst in the nation. At least some of them are.
They go on to say we should be putting even more money into our roads, despite the fact we're already spending more per mile than most other states. One sentence is used to say we should spend the money more efficiently, but it seems almost like an afterthought the way I read it.
Anybody else read it that way? Kind of a goofy line of thinking to me.
Labels: California State Government
posted by Fred Mangels @ 11:02 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
"Kind of a goofy line of thinking to me."
And to think that you are a supporter of the Richardson Grove realignment,a prime example of wasteful and needless spending.
I wouldn't call improvements to existing roads wasteful or needless. It might seem like a lot of money for what they're planning on doing, and that's the issue here. Why are so many other states getting better results with their roads while spending less money?
Goofy is right. I wince every time I pass the new Hwy 36/101 interchange at Alton that must be soaking up several millions of dollars--and for what exactly? It's not as if that intersection was ever heavily traveled and especially since Palco became HRC with very few logging trucks on the road.
Time and again I've seen Cal-Trans "fixing" the highways and county roads when the banks of the roads cave in but do they really fix them? Not really because the only real fix for unstable slopes above roads is to place large rocks into the bank. They are the only way these unstable slopes are retained in my experience yet Cal-Trans routinely scrapes off the sides and may or may not plant clover that will not hold when the rains come.
There's one spot on the Briceland-Shelter Cove road that is constantly in need of repair due to the road bed going through unstable blue clay that is slowly but surely making its way down to the Redwood Creek bed below. I would guestimate that Cal-Trans has put millions of dollars in repair work time on this one spot alone. We are not getting our money's worth from Cal-Trans because why should they really fix our roads so that they stay fixed when they can receive ever more money for the next round of temporary fixes.
Well, Fred. Since you are a "libertarian", I would assume that you are opposed to needless government spending. Or any government, in general.
The RIP(Richardson Grove "Improvement" Project) is an unnecessary project designed to RIP a hole in the Redwood Curtain.
Caltrans wants to spend $5-10 million dollars of our tax money(are you not opposed to taxes, Fred?) to widen a two mile section of hwy 101 through Richardson Grove State Park.
That's $2.5-5 Million dollars per mile. To widen a road...
Sadly, the tax money and federal stimulus funding is not being used to help fix more important issues, such as the local economy. It's ironic that RIP supporters seem to think that widening the road for a big box invasion will help our local economy or make the entrance to the Redwood Curtain "safer".
As if minimum wage part-time employment will help anyone, aside from Chinese manufacturers and non-local investors.
As if increasing the speed limit through a State Park will make the area "safer".
One point you missed, Stephen:
Not only is Cal-trans the cause of much of our slides and road closures. So is the timber industry, from making steep slopes unstable from irresponsible logging practices.
I love that sign on Briceland/Shelter Cove Road a few miles past Redway on the hairpin curve:
"Warning: Rough Road.
Watch for potholes, sinkholes and @#%holes." :)
Love that "ripping a hole in the Redwood Curtain". B.S.
As I've said before, it will cost a bunch of money. Government projects always cost more than private ones. This will be an improvement, nonetheless.
How is the RIP not ripping a hole in the Redwood Curtain? Enlighten us, please...
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