Hacker News Reader

Comment by Traster | Hacker News Reader

Are there many large infrastructure projects in America that actually turn out to be a waste of time? It seems like any large infrastructure project tends to get a whole load of pushback and political shenanigans (which often are the direct cause of spiralling costs), but in the end once it's built (if it's built) it's a massive benefit. Is the real lesson here just that we should all just shut up and get on with it?

View on HN

My aggravation with infrastructure projects is not with the rebar and concrete parts but with the “everyone will vote for this, so I’m going to staple some completely unrelated pork to it” BS that is frequently attempted and sometimes succeeds in US politics.

Of course, one person’s pork is another person’s dinner, so it’s unlikely to stop.

I’m not sure this project would have been viewed quite as favorably as the Big Dig: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge though there are many who characterize the Big Dig itself as a massive pork barrel project.

I'm from EU, living in EU and... Can't really answer for USA but in EU all large infra projects have proven countless time big waste of resources, even the very few that for some reason prove to work a bit for a short period of time... I suppose that's happen equally around the world. Some, who shape things more for the today economy suffer more (like probably USA, or Germany) and those who plan a bit more for States interest suffer a bit less (like France) but in the end the outcome is not that different, only more or less visible to anyone.

In transportation terms the main issue is that you plan something that will be ready after many years, when it will be ready (if it ever will) things have changes and so the once theoretically good infra is now not needed/nor useful anymore...

It never got built but it's hard to see how the famous Alaska Bridge To Nowhere [1] could have ever penciled out if it were built.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge

> in the end once it's built (if it's built) it's a massive benefit

Like what?

Been on a road or pavement lately? Airport, railway, school, park, townhall etc.?

Someone complained that thing was a waste of money when it was built.

I don't know. Maybe something like the Interstate Highway System.

Like any literally any infrastructure, no one is standing around going "Wow, that Interstate highway system sure was a waste of time".

Roger Rabbit

That "Big Dig" in Boston is probably a good example. It was like... 10 years past its original schedule, wayyyy over budget... but I don't think anyone in Boston wants to go back to before it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig

BART.

Simple rule of thumb:

If it is transit related, then it is a waste of time.

If it is auto and truck related, then it is not a waste of time.

Transit projects get a lot more “help” to make them viable because the lawsuit folks think that they are more green and for the greater good.

Auto projects (roadways and highways) go through much more scrutiny and evaluation than transit, so you better be sure to have your i’s dotted on these.

Which means there is much more analysis to justify a need for the roadway. Transit items are given as much lee way as possible to make it work.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com