Hey, Gov. Chris Sununu – how’bout just buying each one a boat? $32M to be spent for 500 bicyclists & pedestrians - Granite Grok

Hey, Gov. Chris Sununu – how’bout just buying each one a boat? $32M to be spent for 500 bicyclists & pedestrians

Gen-Sullivan-Bridge-250x188This is absolutely NUTS – is this REALLY a good use of taxpayer monies even as NH Executive Councilor Russell Prescott (R) led the march to raise highway toll charges by up to 50%???  What say you, Gov. Chris Sununu? You control the toll vote and last time I looked, you control the NH Department of Transportation:

$32M bicycle and pedestrian crossing to move forward with or without toll hike

The salient points only – go read the piece after you take your anger management pill(s).

  • Officials from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation say a $32 million project to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to continue crossing the long-defunct General Sullivan Bridge over Little Bay will remain on track even if tolls do not increase.
  • Approximately 500 bicyclists and pedestrians used the General Sullivan Bridge weekly in counts performed in July 2016, according to New Hampshire Department of Transportation Chief Project Manager Keith Cota.
  • The bridge opened in 1935 and has been closed to vehicular traffic for three decades.

  • The U.S. Coast Guard advised the state years ago to remove the General Sullivan Bridge, saying it no longer functions in the manner originally intendedand is an obstruction to navigation, according to the NH DOT website.
  • A complete bridge removal and replacement has an estimated construction cost of $43.7 million. The partial removal and replacement plan will cost $31.7 million and is the cheapest of all alternatives, officials have said.

At “500 bicyclists and pedestriansweekly” that’s $64,000 / person.  Are you freaking kidding me?  Just buy each one a boat and then let them take care of the maintenance on their own.  Or a pretty nice car, tell them to use the other bridge, and be done with it.

and is the cheapest of all alternatives” – Er, no, it’s not.  Like $0/hour is the real minimum wage, not spending $32 million of our money is the cheapest alternative.  Next cheapest is spending the money to implode it and cart it away.

Just like Sununu should be doing to DOT for coming up with this cockamamie idea.

Seriously – 500 a week?

(H/T: Union Leader)

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