The $8.8 billion Union Station plan is already three years behind schedule
Conn Carroll
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Union Station was already falling apart before COVID, thanks to the toleration of vagrancy, marijuana use, and public urination. Now, almost two years after Washington, D.C., ended its public health emergency, the 115-year-old station is only worse. It has lost over half its retailers and eateries, and foot traffic keeps declining.
Commuters who once stopped for a meal on the way home or even planned a business meeting for lunch now can’t exit the premises fast enough. The building has been overrun by homeless people begging for money and pigeons stealing food.
LIBERAL POLICIES ARE MAKING THE AMERICAN DREAM UNAFFORDABLE
The Federal Railroad Administration has a plan, though. It wants to spend $8.8 billion to triple Union Station’s passenger capacity and turn it into a hub for a high-speed rail system that doesn’t exist. The number of parking spaces would be cut from the existing 2,200 to just 400, while pedestrian and bike traffic would all be encouraged, while taxis and rideshares would be moved underground.
Sounds like an environmentalist’s dream: more mass transit, far fewer cars. But despite the environmentally friendly profile of the project and the fact it is located in the middle of a dense urban area, the authorities are already three years behind schedule on obtaining the federal permits needed to begin construction on the project. Luz Lazo reports:
Although plans call for station upgrades to be finished in about 18 years, much of the timetable is unclear. The federal environmental review of the project, which began in 2015, is at least three years behind schedule. Once the federal approval process is complete, a design phase is likely to take several years, project officials said, possibly followed by 13 years of construction.
The project is not supposed to be completed until 2040, and that is assuming everything going forward happens without delay. Just one lawsuit could delay the project for years longer.
There is no reason the federal government, or anyone, really, should have to jump through this many hoops to build much-needed infrastructure. That is why it is so important for Congress to pass much-needed permitting reform, specifically legislation that would reform the National Environmental Policy Act to prevent abusive lawsuits by environmental activists.
Democrats aren’t going to come anywhere close to building all the new infrastructure needed to achieve their clean energy dreams unless they work with Republicans on permitting reform. Whether it’s permits for wind farms, transmission lines, or high-speed rail stations, none of it is going to happen under the current NEPA regime.