News item:  One in four of the things promised to voters in exchange for the RTA tax increase won’t get done according to  Rob O’Dell’s article. 

Apparently the RTA was sold on bad projections, is overrunning the secret higher projections you were not shown (even at a time when the state is getting more bang for the road construction buck due to hungry contractors COMPETING), and is taking money meant for other projects (such as repaving our atrocious roads) to deliver only 75% of what they promised.  O’Dell’s article is amazing.

Not bad for one of these teeny tiny “it’s only a half a penny, you’ll never even notice it” tax increases.  Cue Sally Struthers “just one half of a penny, less than a cup of coffee, can feed a bureaucracy of dozens and deliver far less than what you were led to expect.”

The article didn’t mention it but I’m sure the “modern” streetcar will get all of its RTA money (along with Gabby’s pork side dish).

And whether or not O’Dell’s conclusions are correct, there was one thing that caught my eye.  It was about the Cushing Street bridge.

Remember the Cushing St. bridge, necessary because of the “modern” streetcar?  You remember, the one that had to be redesigned four times, once to accommodate trees.   It started out at $6 million.  Then last August it was $10 million.  Wanna guess how much it is now, less than a year later?  According to O’Dell it’s–hold onto your hat–FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS!!!  That’s right TWO AND A HALF TIMES THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE.  From the article: “Tucson is taking $15 million earmarked to pave roads to instead pay to build the Cushing Street Bridge over the Santa Cruz River for the modern streetcar.”  The 50% overrun on the 4th Ave underpass was apparently only foreplay for what they are doing to us now. 

Only in the magical world of Tucson.

But I digress. looks like you got hoodwinked on yet another tax increase.  Just a reminder since the city wants just another “teeny tiny half cent you’ll never even notice it” tax increase this Fall.