Private Financing for East-West Highway through Maine?

[yakra]

This is a waste of taxpayer money because the feasibility study he been authorized at our expense.
Even if construction, operation and maintenance will be done privately. Even if the private entity interested in building and profiting from it already HAS money to do so.

[cpzilliacus]

This is a waste of taxpayer money because the feasibility study he been authorized at our expense.
Even if construction, operation and maintenance will be done privately. Even if the private entity interested in building and profiting from it already HAS money to do so.

I disagree.  Even when private investors are willing to front the money to build a highway, they are generally not willing to go through the treacherous process of securing approvals of an Environmental Impact Statement, as required by the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

That's a very risky business that most investors do not wish to take on.  So taxpayers fund it.

That was the process used to build the private Dulles Greenway (Va. 267) in Loudoun County, Virginia.

[aridawn]

Privite money asside, the big problem is traffic, and the new import/export laws.  Maine will have to loby the Federal Gov't to be able to attract the business.  As I had said earlier most Canadian trucking companies are not using any us routes to continue their trips to and from Canadian destinations. IE Calgary - Toronto.

[yakra]

I disagree too. The hit to taxpayers is $300,000, which would be small change to Cianbro or any company seriously enough interested in building & profiting from such a highway to allow the discussion to get as far as it has, and to consider ponying up $2G for construction, however they come up with it.

If one hopes to reap the benefits of this highway, they should put their money where their mouth is and assume this risk -- which in this case, of the $300,000 feasibility study, looks small.  And not externalize the costs onto the backs of taxpayers. Most of whom have no involvement with this private venture, and precious little to gain from it.

Privatize the gain. Socialize the losses.

[cpzilliacus]

N.Y. Times: Plan to Speed Travel With Toll Road in Maine Hits a Nerve

[agentsteel53]

they should use the Alaska pipeline and Dalton Highway as a reference.  yep, they built it.  and Alaska still remains pretty dang remote.

[vdeane]

Or look at the I-88 corridor in NY.  I don't see how building a highway will automatically destroy the rural character of an area.  It will only destroy the area if the people in the area let it.  If they want to stay rural, they can simply refuse to allow developers to create strip malls and subdivisions near the interchanges.  Zoning laws exist for a reason - enforce them!

[Alps]

they should use the Alaska pipeline

I looked this up on urbandictionary by accident, looking up something else. Can't be unseen.

[kphoger]

they should use the Alaska pipeline

I looked this up on urbandictionary by accident, looking up something else. Can't be unseen.

* kphoger is currently cracking the heck UP!

[kphoger]

No way!  IRC commands work on here???? 

[Alps]

No way!  IRC commands work on here???? 

* Steve is amazed

[Takumi]

* Takumi knew about this long ago

[kphoger]

/topic The working list of IRC commands on here is incomplete.
/kick Steve

[Takumi]

I think it's just /me, actually. The last Simple Machines forum I used (back in 2005 or so) was where I discovered it.

[mgk920]

* mgk920 is amazed that someone besides himself remembers what IRC was (or still is?)!

Mike

[kphoger]

* mgk920 is amazed that someone besides himself remembers what IRC was (or still is?)!

Mike

I'm wondering (scratch that . . . /me) if anyone younger than me has ever used it.  I'm 31 years old.

[Takumi]

* Takumi used IRC awhile back in 2001 or so but only a few times

[hbelkins]

I looked this up on urbandictionary by accident, looking up something else. Can't be unseen.

TFTMS.

[Alps]

* mgk920 is amazed that someone besides himself remembers what IRC was (or still is?)!

Mike

I'm wondering (scratch that . . . /me) if anyone younger than me has ever used it.  I'm 31 years old.

I'm 29 and may have been the youngest in IRC when the chat last disbanded.

[yakra]

Now I'm really curious! Something tells me though that I may not wanna look it up here at work...

[mgk920]

IRC = 'Internet Relay Chat'.  It was a protocol that allows(ed) groups of users to participate in real-time round-table text discussions.  It was popular in the 1990s and into the early to mid 2000s, but was mainly supplanted by cell-phone text messaging.

Mike

[deathtopumpkins]

IRC is still occasionally used. I've used it before. It's pretty much pointless with all the other forms of instant communication though.

[kphoger]

I was gonna say!  IRC is still around; I've used mIRC within the last six years, as a matter of fact.

[KEVIN_224]

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/224517/314/East-West-highway-proposal-excoriated-by-environmental-group

Naturally, the Sierra Club has to stick their noses into this now.

[Alps]

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/224517/314/East-West-highway-proposal-excoriated-by-environmental-group

Naturally, the Sierra Club has to stick their noses into this now.

Also on their list of top 50 hated projects: every other road.