Cool concept, but a 500 mile bridge? Elevated transportation routes are expensive [1,2,3]. The utopian dreams tend to give way to an ugly reality [4,5].
The $1 billion budget for land and rights of way also seems wildly optimistic for razing a path through multiple heavily populated metropolitan areas with astronomical real estate prices. And let's not underestimate the tenacity and ingenuity of a determined opposition [6,7].
[1] The 3.2 mile, mostly elevated [1a] BART/OAK connector with dinky little cable cars will cost $361mm for the capital construction alone[1b].
The $1 billion budget for land and rights of way also seems wildly optimistic for razing a path through multiple heavily populated metropolitan areas with astronomical real estate prices. And let's not underestimate the tenacity and ingenuity of a determined opposition [6,7].
[1] The 3.2 mile, mostly elevated [1a] BART/OAK connector with dinky little cable cars will cost $361mm for the capital construction alone[1b].
[1a] http://bart.gov/docs/oac/OAC%20Project%20Alignment%20Map%20S...
[1b] (slide 36) http://bart.gov/docs/oac/Microsoft%20PowerPoint%20-%20OAC%20...
[2] http://www.nationalaffairs.com/doclib/20080528_197905505cost...
[3] http://www-pam.usc.edu/volume2/v2i1a3s2.html
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DkZ...
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embarcadero_Freeway
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_revolts#California
[7] http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/06/25/indianas-big-dig-raises... (this one is hilarious)