KTVU Interview on High Speed Rail

The California High Speed Rail Authority held a meeting in San Francisco on August 5, 2010, regarding the construction of the train in the Bay Area. At this meeting, the underground tunnel and covered trench were dismissed by the HSR Authority as too costly. The design alternatives now being considered by the HSR Authority are four tracks side by side at ground level, in open trenches or on elevated tracks. I believe that these alternatives will have a serious negative impact on the environment in Menlo Park, Atherton, and Palo Alto and cause serious urban blight to these communities.

In testimony before the HSR Authority at its August 5th meeting, I proposed consideration of a covered trench or tunneling for the residential and downtown areas, at an additional cost of about $4 billion. In light of this added cost, I said another alternative, previously rejected, should come back into consideration to build the HSR tracks in the rights-of-way of either Highway 101 or 280.

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News & Politics

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• KTVU
• 08
• 05
• 2010
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