BCT Editorial – 10/12/06

This page was last updated on October 12, 2006.

Road work; Editorial; Beaver County Times; October 12, 2006.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“It just got a little easier to get from here to there.

“On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission opened the Findlay Connector, a six-mile stretch of toll road that goes from Route 60 at Pittsburgh International Airport to Route 22 in northern Washington County.

“In and of itself, the road, which took three years to build and cost $225 million, is a welcome addition to our region's infrastructure because its presence opens up thousands of acres in Findlay Township for development.

“But what gives the toll road even more significance is that one day it could become part of the much-dreamed-about Southern Expressway, which would link Route 60 and Pittsburgh International Airport with Monroeville near the turnpike in eastern Allegheny County.

“Which would make getting from here to there even easier.”

[RWC] Did you notice the unaddressed issue? Though the road will undoubtedly “make getting from here to there even easier,” the editorial doesn’t ask if the economic benefits will ever outweigh the road’s construction and ongoing costs.

Of course, the Times may not care if the benefits outweigh the costs. If you recall, despite asserting, “Toll Route 60 continues to disappoint,” the January 2005 editorial “Missing the point” ended up defending the road.