The Purple Line light rail isn't due to begin operation until spring 2027 or summer 2027, depending upon who you are talking to. So Bethesda is in for another four years of this disruptive construction, and no use of a sizeable segment of the Capital Crescent Trail. Here's a look at the current state of the construction in the area of Montgomery Avenue, and from the East-West Highway bridge over the future rail line. The focus of work is the construction of walls, and the installation of utilities. Blasting and excavation for future elevator access to the south end of the Bethesda Metro station continue at Elm Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
29 comments:
Walking away from the original contract, causing years of delays and billions in extra costs, was definitely Hogan's biggest mistake and surely the most expensive mistake in the state's history.
Additional specifics, from https://www.marylandmatters.org/2023/07/19/moore-vows-to-get-purple-line-on-track-and-control-costs-and-future-delays/
" … When it was launched [in 2016], the Purple Line was expected to cost nearly $5.6 billion and open in 2022.
"… The current opening date for the Purple Line is spring of 2027. The cost, including the payment approved by the Board of Public Works, is now $9.4 billion over the more than three-decade contract period…"
Just pathetic use of taxpayer dollars.
At least they're finally building the damn thing again.
A conservatives cash cow, money pit.
The part I hate is the completely useless eyesore that is now in the middle of Bethesda. If the soonest this project is expected to be completed is 2027, why in the world did they do any work between Bethesda and Wisconsin at this point? And leave this construction site sitting for the next four years?
Are they really planning on running a metro rail right through downtown Bethesda?
Thank you, Robert. Photos that need to be seen. We've had a pandemic. We've had a bank bailout. We've had no infrastructure Trump. But, we're making progress. It's a good idea to invest in the future.
Could we have done it better. Of course. Give credit that we're doing it, and Americans are making money. Unless you have a theory that the rest of the world is profiting off of our Purple Line. Bridge on the River Kwai maybe.
10:12 has such a simplistic one-world view. I get it, Trump = bad AND yet we have a middle-class economy in shambles with credit card debt topping 1-TRILLION dollars. By every metric, Trump outperforms Biden and only liberal shills refuse to admit it.
11:16 AM - What you mean by running a "metro rail right through downtown Bethesda". First, it's not Metro, it's MTA. The Bethesda station is downtown and underground. It's an active construction site so it is an eyesore but it's not leaving "this construction site sitting for the next four years". And what is "between Bethesda and Wisconsin". Please clarify. You should inform yourself about the project at the Purple Line website.
Every construction project the Moco gets behind is a huge failure and the tax payers bear the burden of of that failure
@3:20 The ICC is another example of which you speak.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Route_200
And it was horrible when Hogan killed the light rail project across Baltimore after it was finally approved after years of negotiations. I understand Moore is working to revive the project, which I support.
Moore is looking for billions in federal money for that vanity project and more for the AL Bridge.
Don't you think Baltimore has other more pressing issues like crime which no democrat thinks is a problem, (all behind public funded private security).
Liberals never get tired of spending other people's money.
@4:45 I'm pushing back against your blanket statement: "Don't you think Baltimore has other more pressing issues like crime which no democrat thinks is a problem, (all behind public funded private security)."
Parts of Baltimore (mostly low-income neighborhoods) have been left behind in many ways that other parts of the city benefit from, such as good/reliable transportation, high-speed internet, street repair, and safety. And yes, everything costs money. Lots of this can be done with infrastructure funding, which has been solely lacking until very recently.
I'm not a high-income person but I own a small business and believe me, I pay a lot in taxes (federal, state, local). We are all part of a community, and I see a range of programs as an investment and benefit to everyone.
Here's a piece from Baltimore Magazine on multiple ways to provide better/updated transportation to the residents of and visitors to B'more:
https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/the-multi-modal-city-can-baltimore-still-create-a-modern-transportation-system/
You mean like the huge "Inflation Reduction Act" that has nothing to do with reducing inflation but essentially a climate change bill rewarding green energy donors. The problem with the left is they always run out of other people's money. You can't run your business like the government runs their budget yet you advocate for mindless spending with little possibility of returns? I don't run my business this way and you wouldn't still be in business.
This is what democrats have brought to Baltimore:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zSqYaWfSn-M
Spending billions on light rail without addressing rampant crime is at best a fools errand. Wonder how and where Marilyn Mosby lives?
7:18 said "A conservatives cash cow, money pit." At least you recognize it as a money pit, that's a start. Blaming Conservatives? Your TDS is afflicting you, just as it it with shanel above. Strange.
@3:14 AM I don't see these issues as either/or. Or as mindless spending. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We have the funds to address multiple concerns that have been neglected for decades.
6:07 Doesn't consider gifting donors federal tax dollars via a spending bill labeled something its not. Mindless is generous. Criminal graft via bribes & corruption are closer to reality. "We" actually don't have the money but perhaps you do so live by example.
The problem with your statement: "We have the funds to address multiple concerns that have been neglected for decades" is a typical liberal attitude that the federal government is a bottomless bucket of money. Might try taking a class on economics, (just not from Boston where AOC learned to count), and see what 2-Trillion dollars in excess spending has caused.
4:58 AM FYI:
"Alex Cole@acnewsitics
Reagan took the deficit from 70 billion to 175 billion.
Bush 41 took it to 300 billion.
Clinton got it to zero.
Bush 43 took it from 0 to 1.2 trillion.
Obama halved it to 600 billion.
Trump’s got it back to a trillion."
"To check the numbers in Cole’s tweet, we went to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, which has an interactive database for these kinds of figures. Here’s what we found for each claim:
“(President Ronald) Reagan took the deficit from 70 billion to 175 billion.” This is more or less accurate. The federal deficit went from about $78.9 billion at the beginning of Reagan’s presidency to $152.6 billion at the end of it. At points between 1983 and 1986, the deficit was actually more than $175 billion.
“(George H.W.) Bush 41 took it to 300 billion.” Close, but not exactly. The number was around $255 billion at the end of Bush’s term. The deficit spiked at around $290.3 billion the year before he left office.
“(Bill) Clinton got it to zero.” This is true. During his presidency, Clinton managed to zero out the deficit and end his term with a $128.2 billion surplus.
“(George W.) Bush 43 took it from 0 to 1.2 trillion.” This is in the ballpark. Ignoring the fact that he actually started his presidency with a surplus, Bush left office in 2009 with a federal deficit of roughly $1.41 trillion.
“(Barack) Obama halved it to 600 billion.” This is essentially accurate. Obama left the presidency with a deficit of approximately $584.6 billion, which is more than halving $1.41 trillion. The deficit was even lower in 2015 at around $441.9 billion."
More details and fact checking here: https://www.taxpayer.net/in-the-news/heres-how-the-deficit-performed-under-republican-and-democratic-presidents-from-reagan-to-trump/
So I assume that 12:33 is one of the 8% that believes that Brandon is doing an excellent job with the economy all while "reducing" the deficit by overspending 2-TRILLION dollars by the end of the year.
Pro-Tip: Printing money you don't have is temporarily stimulative with inflationary pressure on the economy.
I get it, critical thinking is impossible when discussing leftist policies especially when they don't work. So what do good liberals do? Double down and blame Trump, Reagan and anyone outside their little circle fest of socialists. California is the best example of the left in complete control along with cities like Baltimore, DC, NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago etal.
1:35 PM: You can either accept the facts and work with them and the proposed and implemented policies; do something to change the policies you don't like; or bury your head in the sand and deny, ignore, and/or lie.
**What are your solutions?**
Reality check, Obama had the slowest "recovery" in history and by his last year had shrunk by 1.6%. Remember quantitative easing? Didn't work the first time so time to do it again expecting different results.
“The past remembers better than it lived.” - Jackie Gleason
Now in what is essentially his third term, (check out the current WH staff which is better than 2/3 Obama holdovers), we have a completely compromised DOJ, open borders and an economy on the brink of a second recession, (assuming you guys don't redefine it again). By every metric, Trump outperforms Biden but democrats seek to double down again on failures of the past.
Ignorance and apathy aren't virtues but liberals wear it like a badge of honor.
@3:25 AM Those are comments and criticisms, not solutions. So again, what are you proposing as solutions to said problems?
Here's a summary of the major legislation Biden and the Dems passed in Biden's first 2 years in office. In some cases (e.g., the CHIPS act, Ukraine support, Infrastucture bill), R's joined them. You may or may not like what they've done and are trying to do, but they've accomplished a lot so far.
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/01/1143149435/despite-infighting-its-been-a-surprisingly-productive-2-years-for-democrats
*The American Rescue Plan in response to COVID-19
*Bipartisan infrastructure bill
*The first major gun-safety bill in decades
*Building semiconductors at home through the CHIPS Act
*The Inflation Reduction Act
*Support for Ukraine's defense against a Russian invasion
Leave it to a liberal propagandist to quote NPR who probably still believes Russian collusion. Are you a paid staffer or merely a shill in training?
So funny to see the list of "accomplishments" by this administration. Unfortunately in the real world RESULTS MATTER. The next thing to be quoted is the current inflation rate which completely ignores the overall picture. You and Paul Krugman are in that democrats-are-always-right bubble exclaiming all the "smart" people he knows know what a great economy bidenomics has produced.
You really need to lay off the waterpipe as rose colored glasses don't really change facts on the ground. Want a working solution? Bring back Trump and the economic policies under his administration.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/are-you-better-you-were-4-years-ago
A similar question answered today wouldn't produce results democrat shills pushing bidenomics are looking for.
You're clearly not interested in any kind of solutions for this country or its people. Good luck with that!
EOS.
As usual, the liberal can't cite how their policies encourage success. Keep voting for the latest leftist tripe and you'll be the hypocrite we all can see like in Minnesota:
https://nypost.com/2023/09/07/anti-cop-minnesota-democratic-party-official-left-bloodied-in-violent-carjacking/
12:44 says that anyone opposed to their worldview is not interested in solutions for this country or its people.
Meanwhile, back on planet earth where words mean things. Tell us how the "Inflation Reduction Act" reduced inflation or the "major gun-safety bill" reduced gun violence or crime. I guess inflation is "right where we need it to be" and crime is much lower in the fantasy land that is the liberal mind.
4:14 PM My post was in response to the multiple requests to a poster who didn't agree with or like the policies and legislation from the Dems and Biden. I asked that person to provide or suggest solutions to the problems they are concerned about.
Despite asking several times, they never provided any solutions, which led to my statement that they aren't interested in solving problems, just complaining about them and attacking libs and Dems. It wasn't a general statement on "anyone who opposes [my] worldview."
If someone doesn't like the list of legislation passed over the past 2 years (above), some with bipartisan support, then state what policies/laws you'd like to see implemented.
Trump and the Rs went on and on about "infrastructure week" over Trump's 4 years in office, and did zip about it. Trump went on and on about how he was going to lower drug costs for seniors, and did nothing about it. They neither repealed nor replaced the ACA. Mexico never paid for any new wall along the US/Mexico border to be built. Etc., etc.
And unfortunately, it usually takes time to see the effects of legislation and policies, no matter who is behind them. So we'll see how these plans work out.
If you have other specific ways to address problems in our society, please provide details.
:-)
12:44 PM
12:44 Can't see the forest from the trees with the additional handicap of TDS. With liberals their failed policies always require more and more and more time. By that standard cities like Seattle, SF, DC, NYC etal is set to make a stunning comeback IF only you give liberals MORE time and money. History is a cruel teacher but take a look at the homeless under Giuliani compared to Warren Wilhelm, (aka Deblasio), who started the train of destruction. Is 12:44 implying the border is more secure now than under Trump? Maybe start watching cartoon network instead of CNN/MSNBC for more accurate news.
"takes time to see the effects of legislation and policies, no matter who is behind them. So we'll see how these plans work out"
This is why liberals fail because no matter what the results are, they feel the need to push harder instead of learning from past mistakes. How much time and failure are we talking about? Darwin has a lot to say about this but it's too late for the ideologically entrenched.
Post a Comment