Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanImpact
Aren't the gateway tunnels under the Hudson River and northeast corridor improvements (Acela track improvements) shovel ready, meaning they've had their necessary impact studies done?
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Absolutely not. Environmental studies are only the first step. The engineering on these large projects by itself costs hundreds of millions (it shouldn't, but that's another story). Even if magically the full funding for Gateway appeared tomorrow, it would still take them 1-2 years on an expedited schedule to finish the engineering/design work and another 1-2 years to fully bid the project and get shovels in the ground. The construciton itself would probably take 5 years of work or possibly longer if Penn South is included. This isn't a hypothetical, East Side Access has been under construction for
13 years and still isn't done.
Committing billions of dollars now, only to see benefits in 10 years or more, is the opposite of stimulus. That doesn't mean we shouldn't embark on these projects, of course... but unless the government radically changes the way these projects are done, they are totally ineffective as short-term stimulus.