Metro Jacksonville

Florida bridge slammed as waste of stimulus
Proposed $128 million bridge has been cleared to receive government funds, but it's not needed, some residents say.

See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close) By Abbie Boudreau and Jessi Joseph, CNN Special Investigations Unit
May 5, 2009: 4:37 AM ET

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STUART, Fla. (CNN) -- The most expensive item on Florida's list of economic stimulus projects is drawing fire from some residents and at least one public official, all questioning whether it's needed at all.

The proposed $128 million Indian Street Bridge across the St. Lucie River has been debated in Martin County, Florida, for more than 20 years. But now that it has been cleared to receive money from the federal government's nearly $800 billion economic stimulus effort, the debate may be over.

Critics say the span, which will connect the communities of Palm City and Stuart, is wasteful because there is already a bridge that connects the two communities less than three miles away.

"The president should know that this is a boondoggle and he is getting swindled," said Odias Smith, who has been fighting the bridge for decades and is suing the state Department of Transportation to try to stop it.

0:00 /4:23Bill Clinton on stimulus
Mike Mortell, chairman of the Martin Metropolitan Planning Organization, said the existing Palm City bridge "is in fine shape," but a bigger bridge is needed.

"It just simply doesn't have the capacity to move more cars over it," Mortell told CNN. "It is at capacity. Every day, as many cars that can go over it during the rush hour times go over it."

Supporters say the new bridge will ease traffic congestion, aid hurricane evacuations and create about 3,500 jobs.

"Those of us in favor of the bridge can't believe that we became so fortuitous that in a time of a recession when jobs are down that we actually found the money and have the opportunity to build this bridge that we've been planning now for literally over 20 years and now it's a reality," Mortell said.

Martin County Commissioner Sarah Heard, one of the few county officials who oppose the bridge, said traffic does back up at the existing bridge. But she said the congestion can be resolved without spending money on a new bridge.

"There are some impediments at either end of the bridge," Heard said. "There are stoplights there that are timed so that travelers get stuck at the lights. They don't get stuck on the bridge."

And Smith said he uses the Palm City Bridge regularly and never has a problem with traffic.

"My house faces that bridge. You can see the cars go over it. I go over at 50, 55, all the time," he said.

Another source of contention between Martin County residents is whether or not the proposed project is "shovel-ready" -- a major test for stimulus projects, which are aimed at getting people back to work quickly. But Heard said the state has yet to buy all the property it needs for the right-of-way leading to the bridge, and that challenges from the current owners of those parcels could delay construction.

"I'm flabbergasted, to tell you the truth, because my understanding of the stimulus money was it was supposed to be for shovel-ready projects that could be completed in three years. This is not shovel-ready," she said. "We haven't acquired the land necessary for right of way. We don't have plans for it."

The Florida DOT says it has purchased 33 of the 63 pieces of property it will need to complete the bridge, and it expects to have all of them acquired by February 2011. But Smith said some people might refuse to sell.

"There's people there who want to stay. It's either their dream house and they're going to retire there or they're of modest means and they know they can afford it, but if they go someplace else they can't afford it," he said.

One homeowner whose land will be affected by the project, who did not want to be identified, said she had hoped her home "would be a final investment for me."

"I think about starting over when I hadn't planned on it," she said.

If homeowners refuse to sell, the parcels may go into eminent domain disputes that can take years to resolve. But Mortell said the state can acquire the remaining properties quickly using a fast track settlement, purchasing the properties at their appraised value and negotiating with the homeowner about a buyout price at a later date.

Heard "probably misinterpreted what shovel-ready means," Mortell said. He said the bridge has already been designed and all federally required studies have been completed, so work on some parts of the project can begin right away.

"Shovel-ready means that the project can move forward within 120 days, and that was a primary criteria in the stimulus plan," he said.

Florida lawmakers approved the project for stimulus funding in April. Once the check arrives, construction will begin. But Heard said local communities should have had more of a say in the decision.

"I don't think that's fair," Heard said. "I think we could actually have gotten federal stimulus dollars for projects that we all support and are necessary here."

http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/05/news/economy/stimulus_florida/index.htm

Mertin county is a rare Republican county in South Florida.

Interesting.  Stuart is one of the cities that have pushed for passenger rail service to return to the FEC.  Unfortunately, Florida hasn't been so quick to back this project by going after $100 million in Federal stimulus funds for rail.  In addition, Tri-Rail is almost bankrupt but we can find $128 million to build a bridge to nowhere that the community it benefits doesn't even want?  It would be nice if this bridge could be scrapped and that money redistributed to pay for more meaningful transportation projects.

Having been involved (slightly) with the PD&E study for this a few years back, I can verify that it will be needed....the "nearby" bridge will have capacity and structural problems in the future and this new bridge would serve as a direct route to I-95 in an evacuation.

This is the second or third time I've heard that Tri-Rail is bankrupt; what's up with that?!  Tri-Rail covers a metro with over 5 million people, and it's going bankrupt?  Looks like poor management to me, or, misappropriation of funds/finances.  Tri-Rail's ridership was always off the chain when I lived in South Florida. 

Heights Unknown

Another bridge?

Press Release

Mica Questions Effectiveness of Stimulus Projects
April 29, 2009

Washington, D.C. â€" U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), the Republican Leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, questioned whether infrastructure stimulus funding is being used effectively to create jobs and provide the economic boost for which it was intended.

The Committee held a hearing today to examine the status of transportation and infrastructure project funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Watch Rep. Mica's statement on YouTube

“We are still in the earlier stages of the process, but I am concerned that some projects being funded with Recovery Act money have done little to help create jobs and jumpstart the economy,” Mica said.

“Some projects, not all within the programs overseen by this committee, are of questionable merit and appear to miss the target on stimulus.

“Infrastructure investment creates jobs, and I support this kind of investment as a stimulus. However, we must pay close attention to who is receiving stimulus money, make sure that these dollars are well-directed, and hold funding recipients accountable for its use.”

Mica cited some concerning examples of project spending:

$550,000 for a skateboard park in Rhode Island,
Over $3 million to upgrade a motorship at a museum,
$11 million in stimulus money for a bridge that solely benefits a major corporation, and
$57 million one state proposes to use to study highway projects that won’t begin for years.

Mica continued, “We must ask, is this so-called stimulus funding being used to help Americans who badly need jobs, or is this funding being used to benefit private companies, fund long-term studies rather than ready-to-go projects, and pay for projects that do nothing to employ people?

“I am also concerned about how grant recipients are meeting the job creation reporting requirements under the Recovery Act. The U.S. General Accountability Office has found the existing criteria to measure job creation to be too vague.

“People are desperate for jobs, and we must be able to determine which projects are helping to put Americans back to work.”

# # #



http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=588

Hmmm, private companies is usually what the R's want funded.......

Seems like the above Press Release is a change of tune compared to a previous Press Release I just found:

Mica: No Pork in Stimulus II, Only Vetted Projects
October 29, 2008

Washington, D.C. â€" Building our nation’s infrastructure, creating jobs and avoiding a pork-laden bill must be the goal of any economic stimulus measure, according to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republican Leader John L. Mica (R-FL). 

The Committee is conducting a hearing today to review pending and delayed transportation infrastructure projects that could be expedited to provide a boost to the nation’s lagging economy.

“Any stimulus bill we consider should not be an opportunity for Members of Congress to load it up with pork projects,” Mica said.  “We should focus on eliminating red tape to move forward with projects critical to improving our deteriorating infrastructure and providing out-of-work Americans with jobs.

“Because of bureaucratic delays, many important projects can take years to complete,” Mica continued.  “The burdensome, bureaucratic process of modernizing our aging bridges, highways, transit and rail systems, ports and aviation infrastructure must be sped up.  The I-35W bridge replacement in Minneapolis, for example, was contracted to be completed in just 437 days.  This project is a model for how we can expedite other major projects and put people back to work quickly.

“Transportation infrastructure is the backbone of our nation’s economy, but this vital element of our economy is crumbling.  Every $1 billion we invest in our infrastructure creates or sustains 35,000 jobs.  A carefully considered investment in the most beneficial projects can increase employment, rebuild America and help lead us out of this economic slump,” Mica said.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, we need to invest $1.6 trillion over the next five years to bring our infrastructure up to an acceptable quality.  But today’s hearing focuses on a smaller subset of those infrastructure projects â€" ones that are “ready-to-go” and can create U.S. jobs in the next four months. 

A survey done by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has identified 3,071 highway and bridge projects totaling $17.9 billion that can be put out to bid in the next 90 days.

The American Public Transportation Association estimates that $8 billion can be spent on 559 transit projects in the next 3 months.

A recent survey by the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities and the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators has identified $9.12 billion in ready-to-go clean water projects in 25 different states.

Public officials from state and local governments and transportation and infrastructure industry experts are testifying today about these and other needs that could be addressed through a Congressional stimulus measure.

# # #

http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=494