how can a single RR crossing gate cost a quarter million ?

[russell dunn]

Maybe from scratch, sure.

The surveying, engineering, grading, sensors, and everything needed to

create a compliant system are already in place.

You can move an electric pole for eight grand.

How could adding slaved stanchions and gate arms to a functioning system

cost a quarter of a million bucks each ?

[Bill Call]

How could adding slaved stanchions and gate arms to a functioning system cost a quarter of a million bucks each ?

An interesting subject.

http://theweek.com/article/index/257684 ... in-america

Here is one of the most beautiful bridges in the world built for $520 million:

french bridge.jpg (27.73 KiB) Viewed 2820 times

http://www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/ ... 050103.htm

We spent more to build the much smaller inner belt bridges. Would anyone call them beautiful?

innerbelt bridge.jpg (10.42 KiB) Viewed 2820 times

[ryan costa]

How much did they used to cost?

[Bill Call]

How much did they used to cost?

A lot less!

The Hoover Dam was built on time and on budget for about $700 million in todays dollars.

The visitor center that was built 50 years later will end up costing over $400 million.


http://articles.latimes.com/1995-06-22/ ... hoover-dam

The laugh out loud part:

"There is a lot of truth in those criticisms," said Bob Walsh, a spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation. But he points out that the original 1983 appraisal of $32 million for the project should never have been considered an actual estimate."

Call's Fourth Theorem on Government Competence:

After reaching the point of minimally affective competence the efficiency and quality of government is inversely proportional to its cost and size.

[ryan costa]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =127236641
It was not easy to get hoover dam built. The states along the river argued who would get what for decades.

corporate giantism brings the same diminishing returns or negative returns.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1747 ... earch=true

[russell dunn]

If I were to order 52 Hoover Dams built in a row, 500 feet apart, I might ask

them to knock a few bucks off of the last one. Or add Wayfinding signs.

To double the number of warning devices also doubles the maintenance and

liability for the railroad. The rr usually gets to spec and choose their contractors

at city expense. City buys, railroad owns. It's cheaper for them to blow the horn.


Having said that, every time an accident takes out a warning gate does it really

cost a quarter of a million bucks to replace it ? Am I out of touch ?

[Craig Lovejoy]

I could only imagine what is being spent on this tunnel from Battery Park to Edgewater Park.

[Bill Call]

I could only imagine what is being spent on this tunnel from Battery Park to Edgewater Park.

Thanks for the great picture!

My wife and I go the Capital Theater and the restaurants in that area. I think the renovation of Gordon Square could be a good thing for Lakewood.

How much does it cost?

$35 million.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ss ... rpass.html

In a normal environment I would never support the project. We don't live in a normal environment.

We are spending $6 million on a new downtown pedestrian bridge, $36 million for the 4th remake of Public Square, $7 million on a chandelier on Euclid Avenue, $1 billion for a convention/hotel project and $100 million on the worlds most expensive public housing project:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index ... ct_in.html

We have also spent hundreds of millions to subsidize Crocker Park and millions more to subsidize the new Hospital in Avon.

Don't even get me started on the Nelsonville bypass to nowhere.

As my old friend and partner used to say:

You upset about all da waste?

"Yes"

Why be upset, that's what they do.

Mr. Call, you pay taxes?

"Yes"

Probably too much?

"Yes"

Now the time to get back some of you money.
Shaddup and cashu check.

[ryan costa]

It isn't the architecture that makes Public Square an unpleasant place.
It isn't the buses either.
37 million dollars later, there will be new architecture. the buses might stop a few blocks away.
and public square will still be an unpleasant place.

[russell dunn]

Those aerial photos are fantastic !

In 2010 most of our rail crossings were rebuilt by the railroad using their own subsidiary contractors.
Wonder what that actually cost ?

The same summer, the Clifton traffic signal project was estimated at 1.5 million for the whole job,
new lights, poles, conduit, wiring and controllers.

I can appreciate that things can be expensive, am trying to compare apples to apples.

A traffic control device with a pole and wires.

[russell dunn]

Hi Bill, I invested a lot in learning to really read what you say.

Help me with the parking garage cost perspective.

I have the shots of the visitor center, what does stuff really cost ?

is it like dog money, or dog years ? 6 for 10 ?

Are RR crossings stiil too expensive ?