North Shore Connector-statement-Dickey

===Source:===
:By Robert W. Dickey, President, KQV Newsradio
: Broadcast: June 30, July 1, 2, 2006 
==Time to Terminate the Twin Tunnels!==
If there was ever a time to make your voice heard and to rise up in opposition, now is the time! July 15th is the latest apparent deadline for the Port Authority to get needed additional funding for its currently guestimated $393 million Light-Rail extension from downtown to the near North Side.
It wants the federal government to ante up $18 million in addition to its original commitment of $290 million. And, it's after the state for another nearly $6 million; the county $1.2 million more; and the Authority, already debt-ridden, an added $10 million; which would bring the latest total funding guestimate up to $428 million. What's the reason? Construction bids have come in way over original budget estimates.
Oops, as the say in our business...this just into our KQV Newsroom...the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission announced the other day that the latest guestimate to bore those tunnels has just jumped another 10%...to $435 million!!!
It was just a couple of years ago that this venture was originally priced out at about $363 million. So, without turning the first shovel of dirt on this project, its cost estimates have risen $72 million, an increase of nearly 20%.
And why has the latest "Go...Don't Go" tentative deadline of July 15th been set by the Port Authority to finalize funding? It's because the low bidder on the first phase of the project, Trumbull-Obayashi, says they don't know if they can hold to their original bid beyond that date!
And all this for a stupid, unnecessary, wasteful, taxpayer funded project nobody needs to get across the river to the North Side! After all this is reputed to be "The City of Bridges". And proof of it is that there are at least four bridges within easy walking distance of those near North Side sports and commercial venues.
This is a federal election year. All the members of the U.S. House of Representatives are up for re-election, as is Senator Rick Santorum. Go after them...and Senator Arlen Specter. Tell them to stop this insane waste of your hard earned tax dollars, now...right now...before July 15th!
Now they'll likely tell you, as they've told us, that they have little or no say in this funding; that it's the Federal Transit Administration that's responsible. Our response, isn't it interesting that it was only two years ago when these same folks crowed proudly when this specious commitment was granted.
If it's true that our elected so-called public servants in D.C. can't cancel this deal, then we taxpayers don't need them, because they're just empty suits looking to get re-elected; and therefore, we should be sure they don't get elected when we go to the polls next November!
==Links==
* North Shore Connector
category:Planks_from_elsewhere