The Sun's prod to Gov.-elect Larry Hogan to move forward with the Red Line is so rife with misconceptions and misstatements that it's hard to know which are the most misguided ("Don't kill the 'Jobs Line,'" Jan. 4).
But let's start with the endless escalation in the estimated cost of the project.
What began as a $1.6 billion undertaking — with the cost divided equally between the federal and state governments and no contribution by Baltimore City or Baltimore County — has ballooned to $3 billion, of which the maximum federal contribution will not exceed $900 million.
Where is the remaining $2.1 billion coming from? State budget analysts have limited the amount that the Transportation Trust Fund can provide for the Red Line to $1.2 billion.
Simple arithmetic establishes a shortfall of $900 million or so that must be covered before the Red Line can qualify for any federal funding.
Which brings us to the most misleading aspect of The Sun's editorial: The Federal Transit Administration has not approved any federal funding for the Red Line. Nor can it until the state certifies that it has firm commitments for the entire non-federal portion of the project's cost.
Does The Sun truly believe that the Red Line is worth a mortgage of that magnitude on future generations of Marylanders? And how will those Marylanders pay for other, critically-important transit infrastructure projects?
Benjamin Rosenberg, Baltimore