H/T bojack here.
But that’s not the worst of it. They’re tearing up tracks that were just put in (much like they’re doing for millions of extra dollars in South Waterfront), to put in shinier, costlier tracks through the PSU “Sustainability” Center.
From the Portland Daily Journal of Commerce here.
One project would shift streetcar tracks from Southwest Montgomery Street and Fourth Avenue through the site of the future Oregon Sustainability Center. Although the $2 million in stimulus money didn’t come through, Pearce said, there’s a pending state Connect Oregon grant that could replace that portion of the project’s $4 million cost.
How come they never use the word “sustainability” when it comes to my sustaining the money in my own wallet?
Oh, and the same brainiacs who wanted to use SoWa as an ‘economic engine’ for their grandiose bio tech plans have a similar vision for the “sustainability” choo choo:
“The real vision is: You’ve got the educational institutions, OMSI and a part of town with a lot of development capacity,” he said. “How do you turn that into an economic engine
But of course when it comes to choo choo train projects Portland’s Planning Class can’t help itself. They’re planning another light rail bridge over the Willamette. That’s right, Tri Met, which just cut services and eliminated the freebie downtown bus zone, will spend money it doesn’t have –or does it?–on a new light rail bridge:
Another project site, Southeast Water Avenue, plays heavily into the future of the area’s rail systems. Riders would board light-rail trains and streetcars there before crossing the river on a new transit bridge.
Tri Met continues its mission creep to accommodate the same (small) percentage of people who use light rail, encumbering the taxpayers to an increasingly expensive–unsustainable? bill for maintenance on this stuff.
Don’t be surprised when Tri Met announces more service cuts. It’s mandate apparently isn’t helping Joe Average get around sing the least euxpensive means–a bus, rather it’s to keep spending for more choo choos so the suits get invited to their sustainability conferences.
Oh, and here’s where more of your money is going: