5 ms·

What exactly is costing 600 million dollars? thats a huge sum of money to rebuild a few blocks on a single surface level road.

pardavis 7y ago
https://medium.com/@josefow/streets-paved-with-gold-sfs-ridiculous-repaving-costs-can-t-be-explained-219690e9ff21 https://medium.com/@josefow/streets-paved-with-gold-sfs-ridi...
m0zg 7y ago
It costs $1M or so in the US to e.g. outfit an existing intersection with a set of traffic lights. I thought they'd be some gold plated, diamond encrusted traffic lights, but no, they're just standard issue. Constructions costs are pretty ridiculous.
- rhacker 7y ago
  25K for the workers, 100K for materials. 875K for the company that sold this to the city. Rich keep getting richer.
  - nilkn 7y ago
    If it's this simple why aren't other companies entering the market offering steep discounts? I don't see how such an arbitrary and vast margin could be sustained in the presence of even minimal competition.
    - wasdfff 7y ago
      In LA rail projects generally go to one contractor not because they are the cheapest (they aren’t), but because officials like that they worked on the previous project and have ‘experience.’ AKA nepotism and corruption.
      - Ericson2314 7y ago
        LA rail is actually much more cost effective than other US cities. There was going to be a federal study why, but it was cancelled.
        m0zg 7y ago
        >> but it was cancelled Ironically making it even more cost effective.
        Ericson2314 7y ago
        Federal study I wouldn't think would come out of LA's budget or federal allocation to that budget?
    - rhacker 7y ago
      Probably the paperwork involved.
GrayTextIsTruth 7y ago
They want to use those new smart bricks that notify police via Twitter when a homeless person does their business with a video of the deed from the ground’s POV.
nrp 7y ago
There’s a little more information at https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Market-Street-makeover-safe-bike-lanes-and-no-14499546.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Market-Street-ma... The $600m includes upgrades of sewers and utilities so it’s likely all of Market street is getting dug up some way down. $600m still seems like a lot for that, but it is more than repaving.
- bluGill 7y ago
  If there are going to dig it up anyway they should dig in a subway while they are at it.
  - nrp 7y ago
    Conveniently, there are two running right under Market St! Muni Metro, and then BART below that. I assume some aspect of that also drives up the cost.
    - bluGill 7y ago
      I have to admit my ignorance of SF, my comment is a more general comment that city planners should be considering opportunities to share costs more. For that matter, if they have a subway, why dig up streets now - shouldn't the subway tunnels been made a little wider so the pipes are maintainable without digging? (this is a complex question - obviously a bigger tunnel costs more than a smaller one.

pardavis 7y ago

https://medium.com/@josefow/streets-paved-with-gold-sfs-ridiculous-repaving-costs-can-t-be-explained-219690e9ff21 https://medium.com/@josefow/streets-paved-with-gold-sfs-ridi...

m0zg 7y ago

It costs $1M or so in the US to e.g. outfit an existing intersection with a set of traffic lights. I thought they'd be some gold plated, diamond encrusted traffic lights, but no, they're just standard issue. Constructions costs are pretty ridiculous.

rhacker 7y ago
25K for the workers, 100K for materials. 875K for the company that sold this to the city. Rich keep getting richer.
- nilkn 7y ago
  If it's this simple why aren't other companies entering the market offering steep discounts? I don't see how such an arbitrary and vast margin could be sustained in the presence of even minimal competition.
  - wasdfff 7y ago
    In LA rail projects generally go to one contractor not because they are the cheapest (they aren’t), but because officials like that they worked on the previous project and have ‘experience.’ AKA nepotism and corruption.
    - Ericson2314 7y ago
      LA rail is actually much more cost effective than other US cities. There was going to be a federal study why, but it was cancelled.
      - m0zg 7y ago
        >> but it was cancelled Ironically making it even more cost effective.
        Ericson2314 7y ago
        Federal study I wouldn't think would come out of LA's budget or federal allocation to that budget?
  - rhacker 7y ago
    Probably the paperwork involved.

GrayTextIsTruth 7y ago

They want to use those new smart bricks that notify police via Twitter when a homeless person does their business with a video of the deed from the ground’s POV.

nrp 7y ago

There’s a little more information at https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Market-Street-makeover-safe-bike-lanes-and-no-14499546.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Market-Street-ma... The $600m includes upgrades of sewers and utilities so it’s likely all of Market street is getting dug up some way down. $600m still seems like a lot for that, but it is more than repaving.

bluGill 7y ago
If there are going to dig it up anyway they should dig in a subway while they are at it.
- nrp 7y ago
  Conveniently, there are two running right under Market St! Muni Metro, and then BART below that. I assume some aspect of that also drives up the cost.
  - bluGill 7y ago
    I have to admit my ignorance of SF, my comment is a more general comment that city planners should be considering opportunities to share costs more. For that matter, if they have a subway, why dig up streets now - shouldn't the subway tunnels been made a little wider so the pipes are maintainable without digging? (this is a complex question - obviously a bigger tunnel costs more than a smaller one.