Hey, what’s up with that Atlanta Braves double-decker bridge that no one knows how much it’ll cost or how to pay for it, you ask? (You really need to work on your grammar.) Well, the Cobb County commission has hired an engineer to design it, but still can’t give any answer on the cost part:
When asked how much the bridge would cost, [Cobb Department of Transportation Director Faye] DiMassimo said the county is sticking by its $9 million estimate — a figure they came up with more than a year ago — before officials decided that building a bridge to support the circulator bus would be too expensive.
Asked if the bridge construction cost could be higher, DiMassimo said, “potentially.”
The rest of the article, by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s great Dan Klepal, is equally sad-hilarious and worth reading before it disappears behind the AJC’s paywall. My favorite two bits:
When asked after a July 15 commission meeting if the bridge would be an additional expense for Cobb taxpayers, [Commission Chairman Tim] Lee responded: “Probably not. No. I doubt it. I doubt it seriously.”
And:
Lee acknowledged during a Monday town hall meeting that local tax dollars will help fund the bridge.
This “build the stadium now and figure out how to get people to it later” plan just gets better and better, don’t it?
A multimodal transportation projects like this could be eligible for grants from state and federal agencies, hope Cobb DOT is looking into that as well.
Hi Neil,
Regarding:
“Lee acknowledged during a Monday town hall meeting that local tax dollars will help fund the bridge.”
How much local tax dollars?
Where will the rest of the funding come from?
Underpants gnomes.
Seriously, I think what Kevin wrote above: They’re hoping for federal and state transportation aid. Which means you and I get to help fund a way for Braves fans to walk from their cars to the game, whee!
In that case, I’m glad I mailed my nasty letter to Tim Lee 10/2014.