Comments on: Coalfields Expressway http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/ Brian K. Patton’s personal weblog, discussing politics, NASCAR, & other random issues. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:43:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Brian Patton http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26591 Sun, 29 Jan 2006 03:23:17 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26591 I agree, Dcox, I am anxious to see the final route. One can only imagine they will be hopping from coal seam to coal seam. I agree, Dcox, I am anxious to see the final route. One can only imagine they will be hopping from coal seam to coal seam.

]]> by: dcox http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26587 Sun, 29 Jan 2006 02:53:24 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26587 Will be interesting to see the final route. I'm not against the idea but will give coal companies possible leverage in negotiating with surrounding landowners. Will be interesting to see the final route. I’m not against the idea but will give coal companies possible leverage in negotiating with surrounding landowners.

]]> by: Kilo http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26082 Sat, 21 Jan 2006 02:34:58 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26082 Fast= Coal companies will work 24/7 Cheap= That is a stated fact. Bad concrete has nothing to do with this project. This only concerns the road bed(rough grade). If VDOT is not qualified to oversee this project, who do you suggest perform inspections? I think your comment shows you need to do some research. Fast= Coal companies will work 24/7
Cheap= That is a stated fact.
Bad concrete has nothing to do with this project. This only concerns the road bed(rough grade).
If VDOT is not qualified to oversee this project, who do you suggest perform inspections? I think your comment shows you need to do some research.

]]> by: Charlie Fugate http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26080 Sat, 21 Jan 2006 01:46:00 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26080 I would submit that for all the talk about getting things done during the Warner administration, there are a number of issues that are just now being addressed in more detail. (Transportation ring a bell?) Before you dismiss me as being pro-coal or pro-business(which I am) hear me out. No one wants to be seen as being against road building. Need reenforcement? Just take a peek at HB 1475, with a $299 million increase in the Commonwealth Transportation Board's bond issues. Primary sponsors are all GOP with one exception. (And all from SWVA) My point in this lengthy comment is that road building in the South is largely a 'feather in the cap' type of issue. The Coalfield Expressway will be no different(forgive me Kilo) but it is still needed nonetheless. I would submit that for all the talk about getting things done during the Warner administration, there are a number of issues that are just now being addressed in more detail. (Transportation ring a bell?)

Before you dismiss me as being pro-coal or pro-business(which I am) hear me out. No one wants to be seen as being against road building. Need reenforcement? Just take a peek at HB 1475, with a $299 million increase in the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s bond issues. Primary sponsors are all GOP with one exception. (And all from SWVA)

My point in this lengthy comment is that road building in the South is largely a ‘feather in the cap’ type of issue. The Coalfield Expressway will be no different(forgive me Kilo) but it is still needed nonetheless.

]]> by: kat http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26074 Fri, 20 Jan 2006 19:28:47 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-26074 Kilo, you were the one who mentioned cheap & fast. How do you build using the "same plan & blueprint" but cheaper and faster? Perhaps by using less-costly labor, less costly materials? Certainly, there are minimums for VDOT, but how close will a coal company ride that line? I hope you are correct about the inspectors keeping the project up to quality, but realistically, inspectors can't be everywhere, all the time, and their work is only as good as the govts commitment to enforcement behind them. Just ask those folks down in NC where they are having to rip up ten miles of brand new I-40 because of bad concreting. Or those miners in WV. Not saying the road is a bad idea, or that finding another way to get it done is bad, just that some strong oversight seems in order. SWVA has seen its fair share of good looking boondoggles before. Kilo, you were the one who mentioned cheap & fast. How do you build using the “same plan & blueprint” but cheaper and faster? Perhaps by using less-costly labor, less costly materials? Certainly, there are minimums for VDOT, but how close will a coal company ride that line? I hope you are correct about the inspectors keeping the project up to quality, but realistically, inspectors can’t be everywhere, all the time, and their work is only as good as the govts commitment to enforcement behind them. Just ask those folks down in NC where they are having to rip up ten miles of brand new I-40 because of bad concreting. Or those miners in WV.
Not saying the road is a bad idea, or that finding another way to get it done is bad, just that some strong oversight seems in order. SWVA has seen its fair share of good looking boondoggles before.

]]> by: Kilo http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-25968 Thu, 19 Jan 2006 18:54:39 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-25968 That is so not true kat. The same plan and blueprint will be used by the coal company that any private contractor would use, following the same rules you can read in the VDOT bible. Every inch of the road will be inspected by the same VDOT inspectors that would inspect any road being built in the the state of Va. Lets add that MHSA will also be inspecting the job to ensure saftey of the workers. They rules and standards of VDOT do not change because a coal company is building the road. Maybe you did "Cheap and fast" research for your comment. That is so not true kat.
The same plan and blueprint will be used by the coal company that any private contractor would use, following the same rules you can read in the VDOT bible. Every inch of the road will be inspected by the same VDOT inspectors that would inspect any road being built in the the state of Va. Lets add that MHSA will also be inspecting the job to ensure saftey of the workers.
They rules and standards of VDOT do not change because a coal company is building the road.
Maybe you did “Cheap and fast” research for your comment.

]]> by: kat http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-25966 Thu, 19 Jan 2006 17:05:14 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-25966 cheaper and faster is not always better. remember that old saying, "if you want it bad, you'll get it bad?" road building is a science and an art to do well. proper drainage, preventing erosion and sinking of the roadbed, all that has to be planned for and managed through the entire process. the coal companies won't give a da#* about the road's condition after they get their coal. sort of like how they don't seem to care about the conditions of the towns and creeks around their strip mines. without some really good and continuous oversight, this could be a big mess. cheaper and faster is not always better. remember that old saying, “if you want it bad, you’ll get it bad?” road building is a science and an art to do well. proper drainage, preventing erosion and sinking of the roadbed, all that has to be planned for and managed through the entire process. the coal companies won’t give a da#* about the road’s condition after they get their coal. sort of like how they don’t seem to care about the conditions of the towns and creeks around their strip mines. without some really good and continuous oversight, this could be a big mess.

]]> by: Kilo http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-25947 Thu, 19 Jan 2006 12:57:58 +0000 http://brianpatton.org/2006/01/18/coalfields-expressway/#comment-25947 In Wise A&G coal has provided this same service at least twice. On Lake Street and again out on Duncan Gap-Hurricane Road. The same type deal was used in West Virginia on the King Coal Highway. The bottom line is not only will the road be built cheaper, but faster as the coal companies will most likely work 24 hours a day to remove coal and prepare the road bed. As I emphasized on my post, it was not politicians but coal companies who put this together. In Wise A&G coal has provided this same service at least twice. On Lake Street and again out on Duncan Gap-Hurricane Road. The same type deal was used in West Virginia on the King Coal Highway. The bottom line is not only will the road be built cheaper, but faster as the coal companies will most likely work 24 hours a day to remove coal and prepare the road bed. As I emphasized on my post, it was not politicians but coal companies who put this together.

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