The California Legislative Analyst Office member Heidi Kerstein had the unviable process of speaking to California politicians and delivering the bad news about the high-speed road system that is currently being constructed north of Los Angeles.
Advertisement
According to Kerstein, the project needs another$ 7 billion by June 2026, or the work will stop.
There is” some risk that that gap could grow,” she said, adding that there is” no specific plan to meet that roughly$ 7 billion gap.”
” Some chance” = drop-dead clarity.
This won’t solve the revenue space in the future. This funding gap is “quite fast,” she said.  ,
Initial estimates for Phase 1 of the project were$ 33 billion. With this most recent request, projected costs are in no way believable despite current estimates of around$ 128 billion.
The route will take from Merced to Bakersfield in the first step. Because it is the simplest topographically, that original structure was chosen. It’s comparatively level, and some of the tracks are still playable.
To date, about$ 33 billion has been spent, with the full cost of the Merced-Bakersfield stretch reaching$ 35 billion and being finished in 2033. You have to know why they even bother to guess since nothing about this job has ever been completed on time or within budget.
The High Speed Rail Authority more irritated lawmakers by not filing an “incomplete job release” in time for the funds hearing, according to KCRA, who also reported that the organization did provide a more thorough report on the project program later in the summer.  ,
Steven Bennett, a Democrat Assemblyman, once said to KCRA,” We have no program, we have a good chance it’s going to get worse, and we have a short time to solve the problem.”
Mr. Newsom mentioned his work on the 171-mile Merced-Bakersfield sector in an event of his new podcast immediately after the hearing. ” We finished the bridge mind.” We are beginning to halt our progress. This is becoming really, very real, he said. ” The hard work is nowadays finished.”
Advertisement
Sean Duffy, the transport director, was in extraordinary form when the request for additional funding was made public.
California claims that they now require an additional$ 7B to fly out of the sky just for a 171-mile train from Merced to Bakersfield. What a pun! By 2020, the state’s station to nothing project was supposed to cost around$ 33 billion.
Here’s where we are in 2025:
• ~$ 15B spent.
•…— Secretary Sean Duffy ( @SecDuffy ) March 27, 2025
” We finished the bridge mind.” We’re beginning to “lay track,” said the California governor. On his radio, Gavin Newsom stated. He continued,” This item is starting to get very, very real.” The job has now come to an end.
The 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield section, the initial stage of the 800-mile L.A. to San Francisco job, has been constructed for ten years and has only 22 miles of the 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield section. What world does” the tough work behind us” reside on?
It’s not like these significant public works projects doesn’t get completed.
While California’s high-speed bridge project has had a difficult time, different states have completed similar projects much more quickly. The second proposal for Florida’s Brightline, a personally owned customer train that travels at 125 speed, was in 2012. Between Miami and West Palm Beach, Brightline was in operation by 2018. It started running railways from Miami to Orlando in 235 miles, or 235 miles, in 3 days, in 2023.
Additionally, the company is working on constructing a 218-mile electric train network that is travel 200 mph between Southern California and Las Vegas. It anticipates that line will be operational in December 2028, missing its initial purpose of being operational in period for the Summer Olympics in 2028.
Advertisement
Making high-speed road” to big to fail” is the unspoken aim that Newsom is banking on. With a few additional tens of billions, putting a stop to it will cost almost as much as constructing it.
Duffy then needs to give the project the ax because of this. This thailand may receive no more than one penny of national funds.  ,
Your favorite Pyjama Media reporters are dedicated to providing you with the most up-to-date information. By becoming a VIP Member, you can help us! With the promo code “FIGHT,” we’re slashing a 60 % off the regular VIP Membership. To meet and get your discount, press here.
