Thursday, March 15, 2007

Dallas puts the "fun" in "dysfunction". Again.

While perusing the Metro section of today's DMN (Dallas' sole daily source of news in print - thank God it's in the responsible hands of Belo. Er, wait a minute...), I ran across yet more evidence that Dallas City Govt is more inept than anything this side of the Rappahannock River.

The Trinity River Corridor project, approved back in 1998 under the great Ron Kirk's stewardship, has been challenged AGAIN by a member of the City Council. This time, it's Angela Hunt and her point is the proposed toll highway is taking up too much proposed park land, so it (the highway) has to be built outside the levees.

This project, which could add TREMENDOUS value to the downtown area, has turned into Dallas' version of the Big Dig. Of course, the major difference is the Big Dig, after decades of political nonsense, actually got done. Sure, the Mob got rich off it, decent humans were evicted from their dwellings, and the random 40-ton roof panel falls off a tunnel now and again, occasionally crushing hapless innocents below. But it got done.

Dallas can't even manage that.

You know what? Angela Hunt may even be right. Maybe the toll road should be built on top of the existing roadway and business along what is now Industrial Blvd. I don't know. And I don't care. This point has been argued, litigated, voted on, reargued, relitigated, revoted, triple argued, and quadruple hashed to friggin' death.

Just DO the damn project, already!

Just a side note: Dear, dear Uncle Ron, this city turns it's lonely eyes to you. Why did you ever leave City Hall? I mean, other than Mayor of Dallas is the most thankless, highest stress, least rewarding, most frustrating, highest b.s.-quotient job in the galaxy. Why? We need you back, dude.

No comments: