jdrct

Has their been any discussion about the equipment to be used. Will these be gas/diesel powered buses or will they be trackless trolleys using cantenary lines? As an aside, I once asked a friend of mine who worked in the state capitol about the prospect of light rail instead of bus. He said the main reason was cost. He said the cost of an extensive light rail system/subway system eminating out of Hartford in all four directions, north, south, east, west was estimated at about $30 billion worth of bonding with equipment, tracks, right-of-way, station construction, personell costs, and the inevitable legal, regulatory disputes/approvals. He then added that, in a "good year", the state bonds about $2 billion. The long and short...this isn't a question of spending $150 million on a busway or $200 million on light rail. It seems to be the question of spending $X million on busway or $4 or $5 billion for rail. So this seems more an issue of practical cost than anything else. Incidentally, subway/rail systems in cities like New York (BRT and IRT) and Boston were constructed more than 100 years ago by private companies when it was easy to buy a swath of land and do just about anything with it.It wasn't until the mid-20th century that these systems became government entitities after the private companies couldn't keep up with costs.

For the record, the science center "broke ground" in October 2005, though major construction equipment didn't move on site until January 06

I think the state asked Northland and Northland wasn't interested. At least, that's what I recall from the media articles after Cohen was dropped.

That's actually what the state does. It's called a request for proposals or RFP. The state sets the parameters and then developers respond with a plan they feel best fits the parameters. Even after the state picks a developer, there is a ton of technical negotiations that need to be complete, so you are always going to find yourself negotiating with one party.

Two more pieces of heavy equipment are now on the site, bringing the total to three. This thing might actually happen.

Not to burst your bubble, but I drove past the Highgrove site in Stamford last week. It's basically a hole in the ground. It looks like construction work has completely stopped. I realize we're talking different developers here, but I just wanted to point that out.