Well, at least Harrisburg will go over the old HB&T East Belt Subdivision.  Should have been years ago.  Error....DECADES ago.  At least Wayside and 69th/Sargent Garcia goes under the GH&H just southof Sears.

So what arte the bus transit dependent going to do after METREAUX depleats it's cash for the East End boondoggle, and they don't get any federal pork?

For those folks who think bus service is horrible now, wait till METREAUX is selling buses to divert cash to urban rail, as is the case in San Jose, CA.

Ms. Sit,

Did taxpayers have to pay for all those METREAUX highly-paid "consultants" such as Carol Alvarado, et al, to attend the "ground breaking" as one of the requirements in thier scope of work?

Roykeaux,

        What kind of questions are you asking, man?  Try as you might but one day---when you FINALLY fail in your efforts to bring down a TA and a city, I'll be the happiest man alive!!!

About time.

Now let's see if any of this will actually get done by 2012.

Royko is  probably like some of these people who are experts on raising kids but have never had one. I doubt if he has ever been on any type of public transportation. Still we still have freedom of speech, so rave on Royko.

What does that have to do with anything transit-related?  NOTHING!  Anyhoo, I'm hopeful METRO can get this done before then but I'll go on ahead and deal with the 2012 deadline because of the long road ahead for METRO and Houston.  Good luck!

Just as y'all can let Roykeaux can keep ranting about what HE thinks should happen (probably to make transit WORSE than it is nowin any case), I'm going to keep mentioning (ranting if I have to) what we need more of until whatever METRO does makes me happy.

I REST MY CASE!

ChloeMireille said: "Now let's see if any of this will actually get done by 2012."

Under other circumstances, I would be as skeptical as you are, but given that Metro DID manage to finish the Red Line exactly on time, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt (although I realize that building several lines at once is a far more ambitious undertaking).

.....and there is always Murphy's Law........

don,

I have riden buses in many cities in the United States.  I even proposed a People Mover project in Fairbanks, AK back in 1979.

That's when I learned one needed lots of bribe money to keep the influential satisfied in the North Star Borough back in 1979.

One can only speculate as to the "incentives" needed today in other cities involved in transit projects.

It will be interesting to see if small-disadvantaged businesses will "get a piece of the pie."  Do you have to be a business associated with a City/METRO insider to obtain bids to work on the rail.  

K. Banks,

I subcontract to several smaller companies in Houston which are not listed as a HUB or Minority/Woman owned business.  None of them who submitted RFQ's were chosen to perform any services for METREAUX's tram extensions.

Steve Palmer said:  

"Under other circumstances, I would be as skeptical as you are, but given that Metro DID manage to finish the Red Line exactly on time, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt (although I realize that building several lines at once is a far more ambitious undertaking)."

It may actually be easier since the East End line isn't going to Magnolia TC right now due to issues with the railroad. However, the problems I'm foreseeing are mainly with the University line, since it's the only line still getting news coverage. People on the Westpark end have finally stopped their whining, but now the University end, specifically people on Wheeler, have started up.

Now don't get me wrong, Wheeler is a lovely street. However, based on what I see, it's next to impossible to move to another street without completely bypassing TSU. Last time I checked, that was part of the point of the University line.

This is just standard hypocrisy sitting in the way of progress. People want mass transit, but not if it has to come down THEIR street.

That's why I think it's going to take longer than 2012.

Now, did they HAVE to use disadvantaged buinesses for the IH-10 rebuild?  

My comments depends on the answer:

1.  If NO, then why METRO has to, and TXDOT does not.  Both are transportation projects with Federal rules;  disadvantage business rules should apply for both.

2.  If YES, a new question, WHY?  Is this not a form of discrimination?  And, when you have too many sub-contractors, the danger of reduction of QA/QI can set into a project.

Mr. Palmer,

METREAUX's contractor did finish the Red Line on time, although they rushed to tear up the entire right-of-way, so as to ensure the courts would not stop them, and, to bolster the argument for the 2003 referendum, that too much money would be wasted if voters did not approve the scheme.

What taxpayers received was a shoddily built system, leaking stray current.  METREAUX has spent millions, without the contractor being forced to reimburse METRO for the testing and repairs, and there is a pending lawsuit concerning the damage the tram is causing to the Texas Medical Center infrastructure.

Now METREAUX has hurried agin to break ground for the Harrisburg boondoggle, without a contractor, no engineering or proper design.

A recipe for "Deja Vu all over again!"

Here's my two cents on the matter of the deadline to get all this finished:

As far as how long it's going to take to get this done---WHO CARES!  I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT!  Just as long as they can get what they need to build these lines, JUST GET TO WORK!!!  GET IT DONE AND MOVE ON!  That way, they can use their brains and get cracking on purchasing more and more and more hybrid buses---especially certain buses that certain routes really need.