California's plans for a high-speed rail system are coming undone as indecision over routes undermines progress, the Los Angeles Times reports.
In 2012 the state rail authority decided to build the first operational segment of the $68 billion project from LA's Union Station into the Central Valley, ending well short of the final goal: a 2 hour, 40 minute trip from LA to the San Francisco Bay Area.
The 2012 plan would confront the most challenging part of the route first: the rocky Tehachapi and San Gabriel Mountains just north of LA. It would also provide the first physical manifestation of the long-proposed project and give some assurance of its political survival.
Thus far, the project's only work has been "pre-construction" efforts along a 29 mile stretch between Madera and Fresno. Major construction on that segment should begin this spring.
The LA Times'
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The hope is that the north-first plan would be less risky, making it more likely that construction can begin before the project becomes politically nonviable.
California High Speed Rail
California High-Speed Rail Authority
Already the high-speed rail system has been attacked for rising costs, most notably by Republican members of the state assembly who accuse proponents of hiding the actual price of the system.
And public interest in the project is waning as well: A recent Stanford University poll found that 53% of Californians would rather their drought-riddled state spend the money on water projects.
Perhaps marking a bad omen for the project, California Gov. Jerry Brown failed to mention the effort in his State of the State speech last week, the first time he has not done so since taking office in 2012.
It's unclear where or even if service will begin. But one thing is certain: for California's high-speed rail hopes, time is the
James J. Rawls perspective of the California Dream consists of promise and paradox. People from all over move to California in hopes of finding opportunity and success. However California cannot fulfill people’s expectations.
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Because of the job opportunities in the West that were advertised throughout the World , many people who found themselves out of place after being freed, or having their livelihood freed, sought to take up shop and make their way to these new opportunities.
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The Central Artery Tunnel Project, more commonly known as the Big Dig, is said to be the largest, most complex and technologically challenging highway project in American history. It is the culmination of decades of planning and forethought and is hoped to alleviate the traffic congestion that has plagued the Boston area since the invention of the automobile. The project incorporates a major underground highway system, a revolutionary cable-stayed bridge, and a series of impressive tunnel crossings, each a considerable feat on their own, all constructed in the midst of a bustling city.