[idiot900]

The AirTrain is only eight miles long, cost $1.9 billion to build, and is relevant only to those going to or from JFK. Public transport, especially the AirTrain, is great but I think such advocacy would be well served by discussing the costs as well.

[baroffoos]

I think it would only be fair to put the cost of constructing roads next to that number since those are mindblowingly high as well. The first result I saw was that a 6 lane highway costs about $7-11 million per mile and that doesn't count the cost of all the cars that use it where as the first stat would count the train. I also assume that steel tracks last a lot longer than road surface which has to be rebuilt every few years. Also the cost of carbon emissions is often ignored in car price stats.

[pardavis]

For reference, in the United States, the amount of money spent on road maintenance per state controlled mile looks something like this:

* $2,700 in Alabama

* $80,000 in Massachusetts

* $84,000 in California

* $208,000 in New Jersey

https://reason.org/policy-study/23rd-annual-highway-report/m...

[55555]

For context, making a new 2-lane road costs 2-5 million USD per mile.

I didn't realize roads were so expensive.

[jandrese]

When land is expensive roads are expensive.