Bay Bridge Fiasco Threatens to Swallow Public Transit
By Bobby Winston
Published: September, 2004
Fellow “Rambo patriots” Arnold Schwarzenegger and George W. Bush may share a “Who, me worry?” attitude generally when it comes to elections, but every decent-thinking Californian should rise in outrage at the Governor’s craven proposal to gut RM-2 to pay for Bay Bridge overruns.
Public transit advocates played by the rules and by a clean vote of the people got passage of RM-2, raising bridge tolls by $1 and dedicating the revenues to public transit. Regardless, the Governor, in thrall to anti-tax zealots and car-crazies, did his level best to blithely kick aside the democratic process and simply cast out all the public transit projects.
Never mind that our wholly unsustainable dependence on automobiles is central to the current terrorist threat by way of our addiction to Middle East Oil. Put aside the growing degradation to the Bay Area quality of life caused by car-driven sprawl. These issues were considered by the people when they voted.
The problem of Bay Bridge retro-fit overruns is real. The answer is to increase bridge tolls yet further to $4, why not $5, or even $6 dollars? This will provide the needed revenue and DISCOURAGE CAR USE, which, God knows why, seems to be the good thing that dare not speak its name. Yes, it will be tough to get people to accept the need, but isn’t our tough-guy Governor up to it? Or is it only the poor and the weak that have to take the tough medicine?
Many Bay Crossings readers share this page’s advocacy for a comprehensive regional ferry system; you should know that the Governor’s plan would have killed these plans in the crib.
So let’s say it out loud right now. The Bay Bridge is the Bay Area’s Big Dig, that famous Boston white elephant that took decades to build. That mammoth agency that couldn’t–Caltrans–is apparently over its head in managing underwater foundations and the self-attached suspension design they approved what seems a century ago.
And now for the finger pointing. The official record of it all is a real door-stopper, a cluster buck-the blaming to me that runs an eye-blurring 19,216 words –no kidding. Insomniacs can see for themselves; visit www.baycrossings.com and search on “Bay Bridge Milestones.”
But here’s the bottom line: our own Action-figure Governor is too delicate for this hot potato. So when it comes to the safety and economic well-being of Northern California, it’s “don’t call us, we’ll call you.”
Here’s Arnold’s ideas as to how to handle the latest Caltrans bridge program numbers:
Wait until the last few days of the session before announcing the new overrun numbers: $3.2 billion.
Feint: Make “an offer they can’t refuse.” In other words, force Bay Area legislators to accept our deal or we terminate the project. The half-built bridge is on you. Enjoy!
Bully: Rip off public transit funds, never mind they were just by the voters, to pay for it all. And if the costs rise again, well then, there’s more from where that came from. We’ll let MTC raise the toll again.
Demagogue: Why should the Bay Area try to solve its congestion problems when no one else in the State can? Don’t you know that the State has already raided the State Highway Account and Public Transit Account, suspended Prop 42, and last session tried to steal BART and AC Transit’s property tax funding? All to pretend balance the General Fund without a tax increase and gain 65% voter approval!
Punt: Deal with it after my mini-term!
Blame: It’s the Bay Area’s bridge design.
Right. Never mind that Caltrans participated in the design competition that lasted 60 days and was staffed by UC engineers that advise Caltrans. Never mind that Caltrans commented on all the applications and provided all the cost estimating. Never mind that Caltrans is the lead agency on all the State bridges and told everyone they would complete the job on time and on budget as late as 2001!
So the Legislature said NO to that deal and offered to keep the project going by refinancing the existing tolls while a more equitable arrangement was proposed.
But the Action Governor said NO, I’ll veto, veto your bill. And I’ll huff and puff and shut the bridge project down! Demobilize the contractor! Add more hundreds of millions of cost to the job! And now I’ll wait, wait, wait, until you panic and crack!
So that’s where we are. The Bay Area can keep its ferries and buses and trains and Translink–but the bridge–that will have to lead nowhere. And if there is an earthquake, that will have to be the Bay Area’s fault.
