February’s News In April

People – including Governor Dayton – are asking questions about URS Engineering of San Francisco.  The firm is one of two under consideration as preliminary engineers of record for the proposed Southwest Light Rail line.

MPR’s Jess Mador did an excellent – and fairly balanced – story on the subject this morning.

Which covered a topic that first appeared on Shot In The Dark two months ago.

Mador’s piece notes that URS wasn’t directly responsible for the collapse of the 35W Bridge – although they paid out over $50 million in settlements – and they are well-regarded in the civil engineering business.

But Mador also quotes MN GOP Representative MIke Beard, who cuts to the actual chase regarding the project on which URS is bidding to work:

Michael Beard, R-Shakopee, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, said he’s less worried about URS than he is about the cost of building more light rail.

“I’m more concerned with the whole thing that the Met Council is even moving ahead with this multi-billion dollar project without identifying how we are going to pay for the subsidies to keep it operating once we build it,” Beard said.

We discussed this months ago (Part One and Part Two), as well; our proposed three rail lines will be a perpetual money pit.

3 thoughts on “February’s News In April

  1. Weren’t they also the engineer of the failed Martin Olaf Sabo Metro Greenway bridge?

  2. I know that we’re into jobs, jobs, jobs, but for San Francisco citizens? Are our local firms that non-competitive?

  3. How will they pay for the subsidies?

    What’s important isn’t the subsidies, but getting the stupid thing built. Once it’s built, they’ll produce Met Council “studies” to show how the POOR would suffer disproportionately if we don’t keep subsidizing.

    The poor will concur.

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