Solving California’s Transportation Problems Before 2038 (From RealClearPolicy)

The California high-speed rail debacle has become Exhibit A for why it is increasingly difficult for policymakers anywhere in America to bring large-scale infrastructure projects online, with the public suffering as a result.

In 2008, California voters approved “a $9.95 billion bond measure for an 800-mile High-Speed Train network” that was to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles, with trains running up to 220 miles per hour. The work was scheduled for completion in 2020. It was to emulate similar projects in Europe and Asia and be a game changer for American transportation.

Total cost for the project – the bonds’ principal and interest, federal assistance, and private investments – was estimated at $33 billion. Now it is $128 billion.

Paul Steidler discusses this in an Op-Ed in RealClearPolicy here.