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Originally Posted by the urban politician
Two things:
First, I'm surprised that CREATE, the massive Chicago area project to reduce freight rail congestion, isn't on the list.
Second, I'm surprised about the soaring cost of NYC's Second Avenue Subway project. I mean, this is getting preposterous. What ever happened to the days when you could get an army of men together with some shovels and just BUILD stuff? Perhaps New York needs to look into some sort of public-private partnership and other creative ideas, such as higher user fees, to get this project done (think: Rahm Emanuel). It's not like they would have to look far to find the private equity: we're talking about a line that runs from the Upper East Side to the Financial district.
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The Upper East Side is the problem. You've got some of the most powerful people in the US and the world living in the area, and the subway construction is incredibly disruptive. Consequently the line has been seriously overbuilt with insanely pricey station caverns, bored tunnels, and such instead of ripping up the length of Second Avenue and building the whole damn thing from the top.
Also, the soaring cost of the subway is (partially) a reflection of how badly New York needs extra capacity. Engineers and builders know exactly how strongly the city wants and needs relief for the Lexington Line, especially after 100 years of inaction, and so they're getting every penny they can out of the city and the Feds.