Cost of new runway for Seattle's SeaTac airport.

[Gwizz]

For this additional runway at Seattle's SeaTac airport, the cost is almost a Billion dollars.

The cost for two new additional runways at two other major airports in the US, ran between 300 and 400 million dollars each.  Seattle never does anything without supporting their local contractors who are also major contributers to campaigns.

[RobertA]

Hi there, I'm far away from your problem ;-) but you made me inquisitive. So I looked around little bit and besides an interesting source

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-11-17-airport-check-in-new-runways_N.htm

I could not find the reason for the enormous price - maybe the ten years? or the mitigation plan:

http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/construction/thirdrunway.shtml

But what's your problem? 'No general tax dollars will be used' and as you say:

...Seattle is supporting your local contractors

- so your region will benefit.!?

Could not really understand what for this third runway is good for because:

'...the third runway is to provide a second all-weather runway...In general, the third runway won't be needed as often in good weather....'

(from: runwayFAQ http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/construction/thirdrunwayfaq.shtml#eight )

AND

'Last year, more than 347,000 planes took off and landed at Sea-Tac. Now three runways will be able to handle about 550,000 a year'

Well anyway I'm not with thomasjordan

Politicians are lying whenever they open their mouths.

If a politician would tell me: 'Sorry I've to go out shortly to pi...' I would believe most of the time .... and some times think 'Ok so pi.. off!'

Wow congratulation 550.000 take off&landings a year would be more than one plain EVERY minute, EVERY hour, 24 hours EVERY day, EVERY month.... ok just open a shop with ear protectors just for gettin' rich. Ohh rich just in bad weather or what?

[Gwizz]

Welcome to the forum RobertA.

Seattle's government has a reputation for spending more tax dollars then it needs to spend and more then it takes in, in taxes, even when the spending was "not" OKed by the tax payers.  It is suspected that tax dollars are sometimes paid to preferred contractors who often contribute (give bribe money) to government officials to help them get elected.  This way a contractor can become the only excepted bidder for a specific construction contract job.

Being the only bidder a contractor can inflate the cost of the project and his profits.

An example.  Our Governor said, during her campaign for re-election, that the state had a dollar surplus and was not in debt.  Now we are told that the state is in debt by about 5.1 Billion dollars.  It is my belief that some of the bond money to build the extra runway, was used for the mass transit railway which is over budget because IMHO the contract was inflated in dollar cost, as was the runway.  The people don't pass every bond (tax bill) presented to them.  But, that doesn't stop the government from doing what they want to do and spending the money they didn't get.  They simply move money around between accounts making spending hard to track.  The 5.1 billion dollar deficit was probably moved to a hidden account for the electron time period so the governor could get re-elected.

As an example of this type of activity: 

In the past I tracked the budget of a local school district.  The district wanted the local people to pass a bond ,because they said the School District was short of enough cash to pay all the bills.  As it turned out the district had 3 sets of books.  One for the government to look at for the auditors eyes,  one for the people to look at and a secret set of books that had almost 3 million dollars in hidden funds listed in it without a determined use.   

Two other runways recently completed at two other major airports cost about one third as much as the Sea-Tac runway.  Making Sea Tac's cost suspicious. The airport is owned by the government.  Mostly by the cities of Seattle, Tacoma and some smaller cities.  With so many sources contributing tax dollars to the airport funds, it is difficult to track the spending especially when money is moved around between accounts. 

I saw a picture of a two story wooden outhouse. 

The top floor was for politicians,  The bottom floor was for tax payers. 

 

[RobertA]

Hi Gwizz, some more details which surprise me

This way a contractor can become the only excepted bidder

for shure we have such problems sometimes too but normaly this is avoided by reclamation from the other bidder(s).

also I'm shure (because I've(we) allready been there before) when a a dollar surplus 'grows' to a 5.1 BILLION dollar deficit, all the other political opponents will not stop to tell this fact ervey time, every day, every campaign , until the next election does not end with a re-election.

Even when it's 'true' and the surplus or the small debt unexpected grows up to a 5.1 billion debt because of the banking crisis because of the credit crisis because of the Stock Exchange because of the deficit from the nationalized industry ... because of what ever -> this politican and his party is definitively out of the race. (Even when the argument of the budget-lye respectively the financial-disqualification-argument is told by some 'uneligible'-opponents).

So maybe - better: should be - future brings back better circumstances .... although it's hard to wait for. ;-)

[thomasjordan]

Government construction contracts are notorious for massive cost overruns and taking about twice as long to complete as originally projected.

Government:  The same folks who brought you the "Big Dig" in Boston and the response to Hurricane Katrina.  Vote early, vote often, and you can get even more government, which is what we're fixing to have (by both major political parties).

[Gwizz]

There are good and bad people everywhere. 

Maybe we need a trap door on every corner that covers a bottomless pit and only flips opened when a tried and true government scoundrel walks across it.   ::)

RobertA, I have a son in your general area, but a bit more South in Italy, for about 5 or 6 days.   He said this time it is more for fun then business, so he took his whole family along.   

Question:  What is the weather like this time of year at the top of the boot.   

[RobertA]

Hi Gwizz, for the weather in italy - I'm not very shure but in south of italy it's about like autumn in seatle, no?<g> Well, better have a look at:

http://www.italylogue.com/weather this page shows the longtime experience, or look at:

http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/vacationplanner/?from=secondarynav on this site you also can have a look to the next future days.

Happy holidays! (We've had first snow today ;) but last days were pretty warm.)