The Government Accountability Office was set to investigate why U.S. transit capital investments are so expensive, especially in contrast to comparable European projects, but that study will not leave the station.
The costs of rail projects in Los Angeles have led to a document covering best practices for such public transit projects, "Some people in the United States Senate had the smart idea that the federal government ought to do something similar and included language in their appropriations bill commissioning a Government Accountability Office study of the issue," Mathew Yglesias comments for Vox. However, a federal report on best practices regarding public transit will not be written, because that language didn't make it into the bill that the House of Representatives will see. According to Yglesias, "Nobody seems to want to officially claim credit for killing this."
The problem is real. "The Second Avenue Subway in New York City, for example, is being built at a cost of nearly $1.7 billion per kilometer while new subway lines are being built in Paris, Copenhagen, and Berlin for about $250 million per kilometer," Yglesias reports. And while one study or compendium of best practices won't make the problem go away, studying a problem is better than sweeping it under the rug.
FULL STORY: Someone killed a congressional inquiry into America’s sky-high transit construction costs
New York Governor Announces 2024 Transportation Plans
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Monorail Doesn't Measure Up for Los Angeles, Says Editorial Board
The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times is unimpressed by a plan to build a monorail between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley in the city of Los Angeles.
Transit Capital Investments Planned in Utah
Utah finds itself in a unique situation, with money to spend on expanding transit capacity at a time when many transit agencies are plotting layoffs and service reductions.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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