風蕭蕭_Frank
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May 4, 2024， California mocked over high-speed rail bridge to nowhere
0.3 miles completed. After 15 years. After $11.2 BILLION. $36.96 billion per mile.
加州耗資10億美元的高鐵高架橋火了！
花了3年、耗資10億美元，美國加利福尼亞州高速鐵路管理局建了段長1600英尺（約合488米）、距離地麵25英尺（約合7.6米）高的弗雷斯諾河高架橋，2018年完工至今，仍孤零零地佇立在經常幹涸的弗雷斯諾河道上，等不來“美國首個高速鐵路係統”項目修到兩端……
綜合美國《紐約郵報》和英國天空新聞網報道，5月2日起，這段高架橋的俯瞰圖在美國引發群嘲，加密貨幣狗狗幣創始人比利·馬庫斯5月4日諷刺此橋是“人類有史以來最偉大的成就”，直言“加州真有本事”，特斯拉創始人兼首席執行官埃隆·馬斯克也加入倒油隊伍，轉發相關內容並配上無奈哭的表情。
由於這段高架橋屬於一項造價預算超過1000億美元的加州重點高鐵項目，該項目完工遙遙無期，美國民眾和政客直斥美國政府的無能和腐敗。
美國政府長期以來一直在規劃一段連接加利福尼亞州兩大城市舊金山和洛杉磯的高鐵項目，是美國“第一個高速鐵路係統”的第一期工程，項目預算超過1000億美元，2008年批準了初始資金，2015年第一階段工程開工。
到目前為止，整個項目的建設還在初期階段，後續撥款用於第一階段工程的環境規劃，這段長約494英裏（約合795公裏）的高鐵線路遠未完工。
此次“出圈”的弗雷斯諾河高架橋2015年夏季開始施工，2018年完工，耗時3年，計劃以公鐵兩用橋的形式投入使用。
5月2日起，一則顯示高架橋飛架於幹涸河道上的帖文在X平台迅速傳開，比利·馬庫斯留言嘲諷這工程真是“令人印象深刻”，稱按這進度，估計整個高鐵項目還要三百多年才能完工，希望2400年能等到。他還譏諷預算可能不夠，得花個“700000萬億美元”才能完工。
此外，馬庫斯發文調侃稱：“這是人類有史以來最偉大的成就，用9年（實為3年）、花了110億美元（實為10億美元）建了這座1600英尺的高鐵高架橋。走1600英尺需要花5分鍾，所以建一個高鐵高架橋非常重要。加州真有本事。”
馬庫斯弄錯了一些數據，誤以為橋才建好，並把9年來該項目多個高架橋和立交橋的總耗費110億美元當成是單座高架橋的費用，但他的吐槽引起了美國網民的共鳴。
有網民調侃，加州州長加文·紐森（Gavin Newsom）看著這圖可以說“我的任務完成了，是時候競選總統了”。馬庫斯回複其稱，州長“一定很擅長腐敗和無能”。
還有人為這一基建“奇作”構思了其他增值方式：“應該原狀保持住，並在周圍建立一個博物館，以證明加州多麽能浪費。這樣還能多賺錢。”馬庫斯拍手叫好，諷刺稱“這是大規模失職的美麗標誌”。
很多民眾質疑有沒有必要在這樣一段沒有明顯濕地的路段斥巨資建一座高架，馬斯克也轉發相關帖子表達無奈。
根據2017年8月的施工現場圖，高架橋下的兩條河道當時有水流經。
也就是說，兩條河道雖然常年幹涸，但附近大壩水位過高時也有水，修建高架不難理解。不過，這一鐵路項目路段的選址是否合理、建造時間是否過長、花費是否過高還是引起了討論。
不僅網民們趁著這次弗雷斯諾河高架橋“出圈”狠狠吐槽了一把美國基建能力和政府工作效率，美國政客也對加州這一高鐵項目進行了抨擊。
來自加州的美國國會眾議院共和黨籍議員凱文·基利（Kevin Kiley）在X平台發文稱：“加州高速鐵路項目是美國曆史上最大的無用功。這種程度的失職是對美國的警告。除此之外，真的尷尬。”
California mocked over high-speed rail bridge to nowhere
By Rich Calder May 4, 2024
California is taking of heat for celebrating the completion of an high-speed rail bridge that clearly goes nowhere — part of an $100 billion boondoggle project.
Critics — including Tesla founder Elon Musk and Dogecoin creator Billy Markus — are ripping the California High Speed Rail Authority after it boasted about the completion of a “Fresno River Viaduct,” a mere sliver of the state’s long-delayed, bullet-train project attempting to link San Francisco to Los Angeles
“This is the most remarkable human achievement ever,” joked Markus, the creator of the jokey cryptocurrency, on X Friday
A California agency is getting ripped for celebrating this high speed rail bridge — part of an $11 billion project that is reportedly in danger of being canceled.CA High-Speed Rail
“1600 feet of high speed rail after 9 years and 11 billion dollars it takes about 5 minutes to walk 1600 feet so a high speed rail for that is a really big deal,” added Markus, who also goes by “Shibetoshi Nakamoto.”
California High Speed Rail Authority later clarified that the project took three years to finish, and that it was actually completed in 2018.
Musk also chimed in, posting a sad, crying emoji to express his sentiments about the project, which is reportedly in danger of being scrapped.
That’s despite $11 billion in taxpayer dollars that have already being sunk into the construction already.
That figure includes the Fresno Viaduct and numerous other bridge and overpasses that have already been built for the first phase of the project — which will run from Bakersfield north of Los Angeles to Merced, which is about 80 miles from the Bay Area.
Critics were responding to an earlier post by the rail authority, touting that the Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County is one of the “first completed high-speed rail structures.”
Critics — including Tesla founder Elon Musk and Dogecoin creator Billy Markus — are ripping the California High Speed Rail Authority after it recently boasted about last year’s completion of a “Fresno River Viaduct.”CA High-Speed Rail
“At nearly 1,600 feet long, high-speed trains will travel over the riverbed and will run parallel with the BNSF Railroad,” the authority said on X.
Although reported estimates to complete the rail line will cost taxpayers about $100 billion, Markus fired back, quipping: “wow so impressive, can’t wait until year 2400 for this to finish for 700 quadrillion dollars.”
What do you think? Post a comment.
Venture Capitalist Patrick Blumenthal insinuated the authority should pump the brakes on praising itself, posting a breakdown of the lack of progress the rail-line project has made.
“0.3 miles completed. After 15 years. After $11.2 BILLION. $36.96 billion per mile,” he wrote on X.
California mocked over 'billion-dollar' bridge to nowhere
https://news.sky.com/story/california-mocked-over-billion-dollar-bridge-to-nowhere-13129715?
5 May 2024 12:48, UK
Authorities in the US have long planned a Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail project which is expected to cost over $100bn, but critics have claimed they have very little to show for it - apart from a 0.3-mile bridge that goes nowhere.
Image:The Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County. Pic: California High Speed Rail
The state government of California has long planned for a Los Angeles to San Francisco high-speed rail project.
Despite initial funding being approved back in 2008, the line is still a long way off and expected to cost over $100bn in total.
So far, construction has only begun on the earliest phase and further funding has been used on environmental planning ahead in the Phase I System.
However, the California High-Speed Rail Authority recently publicised one of the completed sections of construction - finished back in 2018 and reported to cost $1bn on its own.
This is a 0.3-mile stretch of bridge, called The Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County, and it has attracted ridicule for going from nowhere to nowhere.
Pictures shared by the authority of the bridge show it connected to nothing at either end with some claiming it is indicative of the wider project.
It runs above a road and close to a number of houses - parallel to another rail track - but currently serves no purpose.
Elon Musk poked fun at the recent X post of the construction, with the billionaire posting a crying emoji in response to news of the project.
However, a number of those criticising it made false claims of the viaduct, its cost and time it took to complete it.
Since it was finished six years ago, after three years of construction, dozens more structures have been completed and there are over a hundred miles in active construction across the project.
Due to the vast scale of high-speed rails, they are often complex, expensive and lengthy projects - with the California High Speed Rail being no different.
The rail would come into use some time in the early 2030s but scrapping it reportedly remains a possibility.
California High Speed Rail has been approached for comment.
