Proving once again that government efficiency is an oxymoron:
Metro and Fairfax County officials celebrated the completion of a staircase at the Vienna Metro station Thursday, nearly three years after the project was approved and after 11 months of construction.
Metro officials approved the staircase in July 2009, with a pledge of $2 million from Fairfax County to build it between the platform and the mezzanine where riders pay their fares to enter the system. Construction began in June 2011 and finished earlier in May before this week’s ribbon cutting, said Metro spokesman Philip Stewart.
11 months, $2 million, one staircase about 20 feet high. You know what that means? Some construction company in Fairfax county is laughing hysterically and rolling around in around $1,990,000 in profits. You would think for that price it wouldn’t have taken them 3 years to approve and complete the project (11 months construction, the rest in approvals and bureaucracy).
And some people wonder why we’ve lost faith in government? The solution is simple really. Those in charge of tax dollars should treat public money like it’s their own money. Suddenly spending $2 million on a staircase seems a bit excessive.
Unsuck DC Metro chronicled this bastardization back in January to great hilarity.
*The picture on the homepage is not the staircase purchased by Fairfax County. The real staircase is much worse.
