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Cash goes fast without rail line
(by Dave Lange - March 03, 2010)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
Cash goes fast without rail line
On a recent trip to Columbus, I had occasion to ponder the $400 million federal stimulus that President Barack Obama is sending Ohio's way to launch "high-speed" passenger rail service connecting our state's three largest cities.
Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat who apparently thinks riding on trains is a nifty idea, took offense at withering criticism of the rail plan from various politicos. "We need cheerleaders for Ohio, not cheerleaders for failure," the governor said.
It took me approximately 2 1/2 hours to drive from our office in South Russell along our state's excellent highway system, including Route 422 and Interstates 271, 71 and 270, to the capital. By my estimation, if the "high-speed" rail line were in service, I might get to the station in downtown Cleveland in less than half that time and hail a cab from the station in Columbus to my hotel in about half that time as well. Then, depending on whether the rail line reaches its top speed of 79 mph, as the "cheerleaders for Ohio" hope, or averages more like 40 mph, as the "cheerleaders for failure" insist, I could arrive just in time to miss a couple meetings.
I do not dislike trains. They are useful for people who do not own cars. They may become useful for the rest of us someday, when the world runs out of oil, or when the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, or when we get tired of enriching unsavory Middle Eastern oil producers.
But as I pondered that $400 million stimulus from the president, like other "cheerleaders for failure," I thought about the possibilities of becoming "cheerleaders for Ohio."
For one example, plans are under way to construct a new inner-belt bridge over the Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland at a cost of $450 million. Instead of a one-way bridge, we could build it to handle traffic heading in both directions. Hey, a big bridge across a narrow river must be worth more than 250 miles of rail service from Cleveland to Cincinnati.
On my drive, I noticed fancy sound barriers along I-271 near the Medina exit buffering high-speed-traffic noise from a bunch of condominiums that were built long after the highway went through. For $400 million, the state could put up 400 miles of sound barriers in Auburn, Bainbridge, Solon and a lot of other places where people bought their homes before freeways were built in their back yards.
Speaking of Bainbridge, that cash could have paid for more than 400 1.2-mile-long reconstruction projects at $900,000 a pop to turn country lanes like Savage Road into high-speed thoroughfares for tractor-trailer trucks.
In Solon, they're nearing completion of the $12 million Pettibone Road reconstruction project and ready to start the $14 million reconstruction of Bainbridge Road. For $400 million, they could do 30 more projects like them.
The Geauga County engineer is planning to realign the intersection of Auburn and Sherman roads in Munson Township at a cost of about $600,000, including a bridge replacement. For $400 million, I bet he could realign every intersection and replace every bridge in the county.
State Sen. Timothy Grendell, R-Chester, has been complaining that the state spent $1 million to put up highway signs bragging about President Obama's stimulus projects. For $400 million, the good senator, who has stimulated a few road signs himself, could put up enough of them to honor every Bob Evans Restaurant and Speedway gas station in the entire state.
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