Stimulus Watch

[FluffyMcDeath]

Came across this interesting sounding site which posts "shovel-ready" projects which have been submitted from around the US as candidate recipients of stimulus grants. Of course, there aren't any in Canada so I don't really have any stake in making comments and such... but there are a whole bunch of proposed projects for Huntsville, for e.g. like widening Taylor Lane for 2.5 million.

Apparently they are looking for comments and recommendations on which projects (if any) are deemed to be important or worthwhile and, perhaps what other projects might be good.

 

[cecilia]

i've seen this site before - I'm not seeing any facts being discussed, just another fight between none existing parties.

it's not living up to the potential

 

[redrumloa]

Taylor Lane?? 2.5Mil??

http://tinyurl.com/c88v7w

Does that look like a 2.5Mil project? I'm not familiar with the area, but I see it is right next to a golf course, that explains a lot :x For that kind of money they should be targetting the true deadly roads, the one that kill people with amazing frequency. Roads like Old Railroad Bed Rd and Capshaw. Old Railroad Bed Rd almost killed my wife.

 

[Wayne]

looking at this;

http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_city/Huntsville/AL

I don't see too many I disagree with from the aspect of the "vote ratio".

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Taylor Lane?? 2.5Mil??

http://tinyurl.com/c88v7w

Does that look like a 2.5Mil project?

Actually, it does. Yup. Roads are incredibly expensive. That thing needs resurfacing anyway and widening it probably isn't too much more over just resurfacing ... except next time it's resurfaced they'll have to resurface the wider road.

I don't like road widening in general, partly because it doesn't really help much. If the road is wider people feel they should go faster on it and that just makes it more dangerous. The safest roads are the narrow rutted up roads that people get scared on if they go over 20 mph. The other problem with road work is that there are too many transnationals willing to bid which ends up meaning that cheap labour is used (like immigrant labour) and so very little of the money is earned by people who will spend it in the local economy and most goes overseas as profit of a foreign corporation.

If you just run the projects as government projects and pay out good cheques to average Joes then they'll take those cheques to the local tavern and buy rounds for all their friends or treat the missus to a night out. Those things stimulate local economies. But I have a feeling that many of these projects will attract low paid crews from out of town and so you'll get new roads, but very little local stimulus.

 

[Wayne]

Taylor Lane?? 2.5Mil?

Interestingly, there is no "Taylor Lane" (or "Taylor Ln") in Huntsville. The one in your map is in Owens Crossroads, which is about 25 - 30 miles outside of Huntsville, unless we indexed it and no one told anyone.

As to the size or project scope, that I can't speak on intelligibly, not knowing where we're talking about. It's perhaps a new road meant to join two big ones, OR perhaps another "Jones Valley" which would join that lane in Owens Crossroads with a new road across the mountain into Huntsville?

Dunno. I do know the traffic over that mountain into South Huntsville gets rather backed up in the mornings and afternoons.

Wayne

 

[metalman]

Came across this interesting sounding site which posts "shovel-ready" projects which have been submitted from around the US as candidate recipients of stimulus grants.
... there are a whole bunch of proposed projects for Huntsville, for e.g. like widening Taylor Lane for 2.5 million.

2.5 million is chump change, think BIG! :slingshot:

Laredo Projects

Cuatro Vientos is the proposed new Laredo outer loop. Its on the list twice, once for a new 10 mile highway, the other a 2.7 mile highway connection.