With the pick of Alaska's Governor, Sarah Palin, as Republican John McCain's running mate, there has been some rehashing of the so-called Bridge to Nowhere. This label of the project aggravates me to no end, so I thought I would give the non-Alaskan readers of this blog a little education on the subject.
The Gravina Island Bridge (also known as The Bridge to Nowhere) was a proposed bridge to replace the ferry that currently connects Ketchikan, Alaska, to the Ketchikan International Airport on Gravina Island. The bridge was projected to cost $398 million. Members of the Alaskan congressional delegation, particularly Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens, were the bridge's biggest advocates in Congress and helped push for federal funding. The project encountered fierce opposition outside of Alaska as a symbol of pork barrel spending and was widely labeled "the bridge to nowhere".
The project was canceled in 2007 by its supporter Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who changed her view after Congress forced the funds to be used elsewhere:
"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer. Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. Much of the public’s attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened."
The following is a quote from a response to a "letter to the editor" type article on www.sitnews.us by Robert Glenn from New York, NY from Jerilyn Lester, Ketchikan, AK.
"The people of Ketchikan think it was "the promised bridge." When they put our airport on another island we were promised a bridge. That was 30 years ago and we have not seen it and thanks to people like you who have bridges to everywhere we are probably not going to see it.
Thanks to Senator Stevens and our other representatives we do have a few dollars sent our way but you that live in the Lower 48 forget that we have needs too. Since we have not had the opportunity of 200 years to build our state structure , we as Alaskans are trying but we keep getting told that we don't need what we think we need.
When you come up to Ketchikan, you will see the need for the bridge. I would like to see your infrastructure get along without logging your forests or your bridges and tunnels that go from the islands in your state. I have lived there and I know what kind of bridges and tunnels you have so please don't tell us we don't need something when you have an over abundance of them or until you come here to live. "
7 comments:
thanks for the info. if it was up to me I would vote for you to have a bridge. On another note the thought of a bridge that goes nowhere kinda reminds me of Tevya and his desire for a set of stairs going nowhere just for show. (apparently this is what those who voted down your bridge thought it was).
lillie
There's a set of stairs that go nowhere at Provo High. I always thought they were cool.
It sounds like a bridge to Gravina Island would be a good idea to me, I wouldn't want to wait for a ferry to go to the airport.
-Carrie
I always liked that set of stairs.
lillie
Hmmm... Sorry but it still sounds like too much money for a very small town. There are lots of places in the west that don't have good roads and thats because there is not enough people to justify the cost. I know we don't agree but I hope you don't get too mad. I just had to speak up. Niki
I wouldn't get mad at you for just stating your opinion Niki, but it won't stop me from saying you're wrong either. The bridge is not just for a small town. It will serve the whole area in the Southeast which is composed of thousands of people. We have anywhere from 5000 to 10,000 tourists who come in from the cruise ships every day. We have hundreds sometimes thousands more who fly in for a variety of hunting, fishing, or other outdoor entertainment. That bridge would improve tourism and business interests here. The fact that you think it just serves our small town of 8000 or the island of 14,000 people, just goes to show the misconception the lower 48 has had about it. They have no idea of the amount of people who visit the island every day during the tourist season, or how much the business owners have to fly in and out of the airport. Not to mention all of the people who are employed at the airport. Once we had the bridge, the other island would be open to development and skys the limit. If you come up here to visit during the summer and come away with the same opinion then I'll accept that, but I don't think you would.--Liz
I live in K-Town, and I have grown so tired of this Bridge Joke! People move to AK for dependance on a Nanny Government today, and thats the problem.
Why is it,
(1) Our collective community leaders told us a bridge is coming for over 30 years!
(2) Our local news paper tells us on front pages for the same period!
(3) Our local realtors’ play, flip this muskeg! Bridge is coming?
(4) We improve Airstrip location from; One Island (Annette) we do not live on to another (Gravina) we don’t live on!
(5) We provide a stank-o porta-potty for 3 months a year to ferry commuters! And lack of parking.
(6) It never dawns on the most brilliant leaders; bridges shut down on winds over 50 knots! Making the bridge less dependable than the ferries.
(7) We can get 400 million bucks from hard working Americans who do not live here. Because we are in the fast lane? Mommy I want a Pony!
(8) All this focus has blinded us to real development known as removing the 2 dead end signs for a grand total of 30 bucks in labor costs.
(9) We look to a tiny island from an island with 300 miles of beach front to save us from stupid local decisions. A 4 day school week will make us smarter.
And (TEN)
We drink this snake oil, blame a Hockey Mom and recycle our local politicians.
Just maybe while nobody was looking we actually thought our Kings of Back-Wood-Camelot were wearing clothes. The bridge was for economic control not for economic development. The plans were to funnel the users of that bridge to the same monopoly of banks, grocers and commerce. Mile 75-North would encourage remote development and affordable beach front! Get it yet. Now that spirit needed a choke chain! The last frontier is a stamp on a trinket made in China.
Palin did not embarrass us, our local lords did. And I will vote accordingly.
Moral of this little town story is; Just because we obey our multi government guidance, as if they are brilliant minds that can see into the future, is no reason to forget that the nation quit sending its best and brightest here when we flushed 500 mill jobs down the tube to appease those who respect documentary’s more than decent families. A little fact our Mayor won’t tell the CNN hate mongers is; The State of New York has more pulp and lumber mills than the State of Alaska. And yet Alaska stretches from Savanna Georgia to Santa Barbara California. I doubt the New York Times will make a point of educating the masses on that one. Alaska sold out when appeasers came to build summer homes.
Post a Comment