Great to hear old John Locke Foundation friend and fellow Reason universe pal Ted Balaker tell WBT’s Keith Larson this morning that the South Blvd. cost explosion does not surprise him. What would surprise him?
Try a cool billion dollars. One billion dollars. That’s roughly double the current $463 million estimate. Sounds impossible? Perhaps. But recall that this thing is only about 60 percent complete. There are a lot of “surprises” possible in the remaining work, that’s what pre-emptively blaming Parsons Transportation Group for a “bad design” builds in for CATS. Wiggle room. Millions worth.
And here’s something to keep the latest $36 million cost jump in perspective, the opportunity cost. Recall that Charlotte spent $4 million on hiring new police officers this year. We could’ve had nine times as many officers on the beat with the new money we are throwing at the light rail line.
New middle schools run CMS about $20 million each — could’ve darn near had two of those instead of the choo-choo cost overrun. Oh, well. Trailers it is.
ImaginOn cost the county $41 million. Maybe coulda stuck one of the those super-libraries up Huntersville way instead. Another $36 million Whitewater Center? Nah, pass on that one.
It would be nice to have the $22 million and then some to widen NC 16 south of 485. NC DOT dinged that work from its construction budget earlier this year. But, hey, let those Union County folks sit and rot — Charlotte is building trains. Choo-choo!
More Mecklenburg prosecutors? Nah, let’s just keep the violent offender catch-and-release program going, no one much cares. Except the slain and their families.
And on and on we go.
$36,000,000.
Feeling world class yet? Besides suckers, I mean?
