Taking a closer look was prompted by two days in a row where the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published what seemed to me to be bizarre propaganda pieces about the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, more commonly known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.
And now today, a third bizarre piece of Star-Telegram propaganda.
Day One we had Fort Worth’s $1B Panther Island project quietly cut from 2018 federal budget.
Day Two followed with Panther Island will move ‘full steam ahead’ despite funding slowdown, proponent vows.
And now on Day Three of this propaganda onslaught the Star-Telegram asks Can Panther Island work without federal funds? Maybe, if Fort Worth plays the long game.
Plays a long game? Wasn't the so-called Panther Island project originally touted as a vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme by those conning the public as to the project's supposed worth? And yet this vitally needed project has been limping along, under funded for most of this century, with little to show for the effort, and a lot of money literally down the drain.
And now we are looking at playing a long game?
The absurdity of this Fort Worth boondoggle, and the inept way the town's supposed newspaper of record covers the absurdity, struck me this morning whilst reading a Seattle Times article about An all-out sprint to demolish Alaskan Way Viaduct in 2019.
Around the same time as Fort Worth's blind vision began looking at nothing, as in near the start of the current century, Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct was damaged by an earthquake. Discussions ensued as to how to get rid of the Viaduct, and with what to replace it.
As is the Seattle Way, it took a lot of discussing to come up with a plan. Eventually it was decided to replace the Viaduct with a tunnel. The project was engineered, and funding secured.
And no local politician's son was put in charge.
Around the same time as Fort Worth had a TNT explosion to mark the start of construction of the town's three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, the world's biggest tunnel boring machine, nicknamed Bertha, began its boring course under downtown Seattle.
Bertha bored for a thousand feet, or so, and then hit a chunk of steel which severely damaged her. Fixing Bertha took about a year. The process was fully transparent, with a live camera aimed at the operation 24/7.
A year after Fort Worth's TNT explosion marking the start of bridge construction locals began wondering why nothing was happening on the bridge building locations. The local newspaper of record did no reporting as to what was causing the delay. There was, and continues to be, ZERO transparency as to what the problems are with these bridges.
And now, four years after that TNT explosion and Bertha began boring, Bertha has long finished her boring, the roadways have been installed in the new tunnel. And once the tunnel opens for traffic the Alaskan Way Viaduct can finally come down.
That is expected to be happening in the first four months of 2019.
Read the Seattle Times article about An all-out sprint to demolish Alaskan Way Viaduct in 2019.and make note of how different this article is from that which you may read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about anything to do with America's Biggest Boondoggle, particularly the slow motion bridge construction.
Notice at the end of the Seattle Times article the hundreds of comments, to an article which was only published this morning. Such is the case over and over again with articles in the Seattle Times.
Intelligent debate with opinions all over the political spectrum.
Meanwhile in a Star-Telegram article there are rarely comments. When there would seem to be so much which is comment worthy. Is this lack of comments because the Star-Telegram has few readers? Or are their readers simply shy about expressing themselves?
Very perplexing.
The price tag for the entire Alaskan Way Viaduct removal, replacement tunnel, waterfront rebuild and other parts of the project came with a multiple billion dollar price tag. Fully funded. With the project on track to completion, even after a major hiccup. And Seattle will be reaping HUGE benefits from the investment, with the town's already busy waterfront reinvigorated by its new connection to downtown with the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct obstruction.
Meanwhile in Fort Worth, currently, those pretending to be in charge, indicate the vitally needed Trinity River Vision flood control and economic development scheme may come to fruition in 2028.
Maybe.
If the federal government is foolish enough to throw some more money down the Fort Worth drain....
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