The bridge will not significantly
reduce travel distance as compared to the proposed Park Blvd.
extension.
On a trip from Nevada to
Parker, one of the touted reasons for project,
the multi-hundred million dollar bridge
would decrease commute distance less than one mile, and in some
cases, increase it.
Using the price paid
for the Lewisville Lake toll bridge and connecting roadways as a
cost reference, Lavon Lake's bridges and connecting roads would be
over $300 million in today's dollars and would, most likely, be well
over this amount by the targeted 2018-2024 completion date.
Considering that
bridge construction costs 8-10 times more money per mile than a land
based solution, tax dollars could be spent to a much greater good on
desperately needed improvements for Hwy 78, such as overpasses,
extra lanes, and road extensions.
Some of
the proposed bridges cross diagonally over water that's the deepest
part of the lake. How would these ever be a cost
effective option? Yet, they were offered to the citizens as options.
At the November 1, 2005
Outer Loop public meeting #5, Collin County (or HNTB) stated
that if a bridge were “placed down the center of Lake Lavon, there
would be an increased amount of bridge structure which would
increase the cost of the project substantially. In addition, there
would be environmental impacts.”
WHY have they changed their tune for this new bridge study?
