Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Re-election TIGER b(u)y the tail in the Bay Area

The US DOT has just announced final agreements for two ARRA ("stimulus") projects in California:  $46 million for the Doyle Drive project in SanFran and almost $34 million for rail upgrades in San Bernadino.  Both are Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, which the Federal Highway Administrator assures us will create hundreds of jobs, improve safety, and enhance the quality of life.  Local pols enthuse.

But wait: the Doyle Drive project is embroiled in court over public employees' criticism of Caltrans's plan to hire a foreign contractor to build and maintain the new road.  California's public sector is so dysfunctional that even largess from Washington for San Francisco gets entangled in competing agendas.

No comments:

Post a Comment