Cool concept, but a 500 mile bridge? Elevated transportation routes are expensive [1,2,3]. The utopian dreams tend to give way to an ugly reality [4,5]. The

Cool concept, but a 500 mile bridge? Elevated transportation routes are expensive [1,2,3]. The utopian dreams tend to give way to an ugly reality [4,5]. The $1 billion budget for land and rights of way also seems wildly optimistic for razing a path through multiple heavily populated metropolitan areas with astronomical real estate prices. And let's not underestimate the tenacity and ingenuity of a determined opposition [6,7]. [1] The 3.2 mile, mostly elevated [1a] BART/OAK connector with dinky little cable cars will cost $361mm for the capital construction alone[1b]. [1a] http://bart.gov/docs/oac/OAC%20Project%20Alignment%20Map%20Satellite.jpg http://bart.gov/docs/oac/OAC%20Project%20Alignment%20Map%20S... [1b] (slide 36) http://bart.gov/docs/oac/Microsoft%20PowerPoint%20-%20OAC%20December%2010%20Award%20-%20Final.pdf http://bart.gov/docs/oac/Microsoft%20PowerPoint%20-%20OAC%20... [2] http://www.nationalaffairs.com/doclib/20080528_197905505costsbenefitsandthewestsidehighwayreginaherzlinger.pdf http://www.nationalaffairs.com/doclib/20080528_197905505cost... [3] http://www-pam.usc.edu/volume2/v2i1a3s2.html http://www-pam.usc.edu/volume2/v2i1a3s2.html [4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DkZSQS7lpHE&t=163 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DkZ... [5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embarcadero_Freeway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embarcadero_Freeway [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_revolts#California http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_revolts#California [7] http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/06/25/indianas-big-dig-raises-bar-on-absurdly-wasteful-highway-boondoggles/ http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/06/25/indianas-big-dig-raises... (this one is hilarious)