Thursday, May 6, 2010

Being Perplexed By The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Slow Boat To China Building Pace

Remember to vote, May 8, for Adrian Murray and John Basham to restore accountability and common sense to the Tarrant Regional Water District Board.

Speaking of accountability, regarding what is known as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, this Vision Boondoggle came into view at some point late in the last century.

We are now 10 years into the new century.

Would you not think that with the Trinity River Vision being so important for the future of Fort Worth, with its extremely important Flood Diversion Channel so important for the safety of the citizens of Fort Worth, that we would have more to show for this extremely important project by now?

By contrast, another important public works/flood control project, though obviously not as important as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, Hoover Dam, started being built in 1931, was completed in 1936, two years ahead of schedule.

Another public works/flood control project, known as Grand Coulee Dam, started being built in 1933, completed in 1942.

That is Grand Coulee Dam in the picture at the top. Needed to tell you that in case you might think it was an artist's rendering of the Trinity River Vision's flood diversion channel and town lake.

It wasn't a Water Works Project, but the Empire State Building was built in 13 months. The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, which was sort of a public works project, and definitely shared abusing eminent domain with the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, took about 4 years to build.

So, if the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is so darn important, why is it being built at the speed of the proverbial slow boat to China?

Speaking of China. Now there is an example of quickly building public works projects. Have you visited Shanghai lately? Their Yangtze River Vision with Shanghai's waterfront relationship with the Yangtze is a beautiful thing. There is no Shanghai Town Lake though, that I know of.

I was not long in Fort Worth before I was extremely perplexed at the slow speed of public works construction projects. There was this humongous highway project to the immediate east of downtown Fort Worth. A jumble of freeways coming together, with the intersection being rebuilt into something called The Mixmaster.

My first two years here I was amazed at how little progress seemed to be being made. Then one day I learned that The Mixmaster project was begun about a decade prior! Several years after that, The Mixmaster was complete. At some point in time that project really seemed to speed up, to its eventual fruition.

I don't think the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is slated to be seen until sometime in the 2020's. Many of the souls being bilked for this Boondoggle will likely not live long enough to see the Vision.

Are Trinity River Vision contractors offered incentives if they get the job done quicker? Is there any actual work being done on the Vision that could be incentivized to get done quicker?

Again, if this is such an important project for the future of Fort Worth, and by extension, the World, since, as we all know, Fort Worth is the Envy of the World, routinely causing outbreaks of Green with Envy Syndrome, and since one of this project's supposed intentions is to save lives from being drowned by a flood, something that has not happened in decades, due to already in place, successful, flood control levees, why is this project being floated on that proverbial slow boat, instead of being fast tracked like Hoover Dam or the Empire State Building?

It is very perplexing. And even more perplexing is why aren't more people perplexed?

1 comment:

twister said...

I think Fort Worth is taking its eye off the ball. One of the things that diverts Fort Worth's attention, is Dallas. City planners are taking a wait and see approach. The spirit of competition that exists between Dallas and Fort Worth is alive and well, more probably, than we can know.