Pombo's $10 Billion Folly - Mt. Hamilton Range Freeway

In the Diablo Range separating San Jose and Silicon Valley from the Central Valley in California, a congressionally nurtured boondoggle is beginning to grow. The proposed project is a six-lane, 23-mile, cars-only freeway which instead of using a natural mountain pass would run straight up rugged Mount Diablo and then down the other side. Because of this, the officially labeled Mt. Hamilton Range Freeway, has garnered another, unofficial moniker—Pombo’s Folly—after the road’s most aggressive proponent, Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA). The reason is simple. Initial project estimates for this short strip of macadam indicate the road could cost taxpayers $10 billion.

Pombo’s Folly, however, doesn’t end with exorbitant costs and challenging topography. As proposed, the highway would also slice through some of the last undeveloped land in the area. Scientists at the Lick Observatory have expressed reservations about the light pollution the project would generate. The Nature Conservancy, which owns more than 82,000 acres around Mt. Hamilton is concerned about the impact on the area’s golden eagles, pronghorns, mountain lions, and tule elk. In addition, fast growth and high demand for housing have combined to eat up much of what was historically farming and grazing land. As a result, some of the region’s few remaining ranchers stand poised to oppose a highway that would fragment their property and heavily impact their traditional way of life.