This morning I read the Dispatch Article titled “Resume speed“, discussing the completion of the $134 million intersection project at highways 270 and 161. That’s right. $134 million for one highway intersection. Does that sound shocking to anyone? Probably not since this type of money gets dumped into highway projects all the time all over the country. Whatever it takes to quell traffic, right?
The real shocker for me is that the downtown streetcar project is being predicted to cost between $128 and $154 million. So roughly the same amount of money to build not one, but two functional streetcar lines that would connect downtown neighborhoods and institutions including (but not limited to) German Village, The Short North, The Ohio State University, The Arena District, The North Market, The Convention Center, The Discovery District, Italian Village, Victorian Village, CSCC, CCAD, Franklin University, The Red Brick District, The Market Exchange District, RiverSouth, and The Brewery District. These two lines would serve millions of residents, students, employees, and visitors every year who are looking for new transit solutions as more cars fill the streets. Whatever it takes to quell traffic, right?
Personally, I doubt I’ll ever use the new 161/270 interchange, but I’m not opposed to it. Overall it will help Central Ohio to continue to grow and will greatly benefit those who will use it. The downtown streetcar plan is a transit project that will have an enormous positive economic impact on Central Ohio. And no matter what neighborhood you live in, or whether you plan on using it on a regular basis or not, I hope everyone will support the plans of those who want new and improved mass transit downtown.
Transportation is more than just “you” or “me”, “us” or “them”. This isn’t about “cars” vs “trains” and this isn’t about “urban” vs “suburban” lifestyles. Improving transportation is something that benefits our entire region as a whole. The downtown streetcar project is a viable option for improving the quality of life for all of Central Ohio.
[...] has posted his Letter to the Editor on his blog discussing the same problem with highway spending I mentioned the other day. I also submitted my entry as a Letter to the Editor as well. It’s always great to see [...]
I really like how you make the point that the streetcars will benefit everyone including suburbanites who would never set foot on them, though I’m sure plenty will.
[...] perfect local example of this is how no one blinks at new of a new $134 million dollar highway interchange, but people come screaming out of the woodwork at the idea of a $100 million dollar modern [...]