accord1999
Active Member
I don’t really understand why people bother opposing the project. Do they have other priorities they want to spend the funds on? They also argue it’s a train to nowhere, but that’s part of the purpose of the project, that ”no where” can get TOD without constant opposition from homeowners and become somewhere.
When a project has gone so over-budget and delayed, people will have different ideas on what it should look like and what the best usage of that money to obtain the greatest transit benefit (ridership). The Green Line's problem isn't a lack of TOD, it's that it can't reach the ridership heavy communities that it was supposed to.
But to do it properly will cost $10B or more at this point (Panorama Hills to Seton), which is probably all of the transit infrastructure money for the next 30 years and will have to compete with all the other projects discussed in RouteAhead..My opinion, is just spend the money and do this properly. It's a one time cost, and once it's done there won't be need for a new line any time soon. Most most areas of the city covered by rail transit and the city can start start leveraging the 3 lines by buildings TODs around them.
And they've already cut corners, there are few people who would argue that the new alignment from Eau Claire to 16th Avenue is anything but terrible. And if the consortium comes back next year and says they can't cross the Bow with just $5.5B, it's probably not a stretch to wonder if they should even bother going to Eau Claire at all.,