Streetcar price goes up by $15 Million; also, entire contingency is used up only 1/2 way through construction

It's truly sad to see Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley saddled with the construction and implementation of the Cincinnati Streetcar project, when it was Mayor Mark Mallory and Finance Committee Chairman Roxanne Qualls who designed and approved a plan that was destined to fail.  And it was a new Council of Yvette Simpson, Wendell Young, David Mann, Kevin Flynn and P.G. Sittenfeld who voted to force the project to proceed.


In the past few weeks, there have been two major negative developments about the Cincinnati Streetcar:

1. Today, Judge Carl Stitch ruled that Cincinnati taxpayers, not Duke Energy ratepayers, must pay the $15 million in Duke's utility relocation costs for construction of the Streetcar.
2. Less well known is that on November 18th, John Deitrich, City Project Manager, reported to the Council Transportation Committee that less than one-half way throughout he construction, the entire budgeted contingency for the project has been used up, and more unexpected problems are already arising.

We really don't hate to say "we told you so," because every failure of the Cincinnati Streetcar vindicates our warnings from Day #1: This project is a boondoggle.  It always has been and always will be.

We must admit it is funny, however, that no set of facts will impress rail fanatics to conclude that the Cincinnati Streetcar was one huge, terrible mistake.