To say thanks but no thanks would imply that they didn't take the money, and they got every dime of it. the House leadership exactly what they think of this childish highway bill. . The train bridge may be the most famous and scenic bridge in Alaska, subject of many iconic photographs. When asked if he felt the road was "a waste of taxpayer money", he responded, "Without the bridge, yeah." If Alaska loses But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened. [1] The project encountered fierce opposition outside Alaska as a symbol of pork barrel spending and is labeled as one of the more prominent "bridges to nowhere". Theres no Mickey Ds, but theres a good spot to camp, and delicious, crystal clear water in the Gilahina River. The Gravina Island Bridge, commonly referred to as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was a proposed bridge to replace the ferry that currently connects the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, with Gravina Island, an island that contains the Ketchikan International Airport as well as 50 residents. Because the trestle sits right beside where the McCarthy Road currently runs, its become a significant vista for most visitors to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve; Id rather see it NOT maintained, and let it disappear into the woods over time, but thats clearly not going to happen. Here is a link to the map and story about the other nowhere bridge (the one to Sen Murkowski and shortcut to Wasilla) Alaska Congressmen Attempt to Earmark 'Bridge to Nowhere' For Personal Profiteering. Drive 11.6 miles north, passing the East Fork Ranger Station at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. WASHINGTON President Biden's push to make his $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill a truly bipartisan affair is running up against a predictable but intractable problem: a lack of Republicans willing to come along. [54] The motion lost and the funding was kept. Kids on an outing in the forest come up against a mysterious hermit who lives on the other side of a bridge, and he is definitely not happy to see them. Assuming the The bridge to nowhere - sometimes called Garry Bridge lies beyond the Tolsta Village - and is on the route of what was to be Lord Leverhulme's new route to Ness. [48] According to the Los Angeles Times, for instance, while seeking votes for her governorship race, Palin told Ketchikan residents that she backed the "bridge to nowhere"; as governor, she spent the money elsewhere and moved ahead with a $26-million road to the nonexistent bridge. Copyright 2008 NPR. Seven fish-bearing streams needed bridges. [3] Never mind that [15] On November 16, 2005, Congress stripped the specific earmark allocation of federal funds for the two bridges in the final edition of the omnibus spending bill, without changing the amount of money allocated for use by Alaska. In addition to the road itself, another $11 million was spent building a 700-foot-long tunnel under the Ketchikan airport runway to get to the Gravina Island Highway from the airport terminal. Its a rickety ole job, at this point, and walking across it with nearly a foot of snow covering each board was, uhhm, sketchy. Your email address will not be published. With Matthew Hunter, Margaret Umbers, Shelly Luxford, Stephen Judd. In response to an inquiry of whether Palin could have stopped construction, Stapleton told Boudreau that Palin had "no viable alternative" because Congress had already granted the earmark and the contract for the road was signed before Palin took office. was simply impractical. Behind the Bridge to Nowhere Ketchikan Alaska As We See It - Through Photographs Fiction Condition: Very Good From a smoke free / Pet free environment If there is a problem with your item once you receive it. [13], On October 21, 2005, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) offered an amendment to remove funds for the Gravina Island and Knik Arm bridges, and divert the funds to rebuild a bridge over Lake Pontchartrain that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. counted towards a state's equity bonus and thus are part of the This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. The earmark for the infamous Alaska bridge, referred to as the "bridge to nowhere" allocated $223 million dollars to build a bridge from Ketchikan, Alaska, to a tiny island. Today, the lonely Bridge to Nowhere still arcs gracefully over the San Gabriel River, providing one of Southern California's oddest, albeit epic, hiking destinations. Suppose the government wants to spend a large sum of money to increase employment and spur economic growth . That had to be spent on the Gravina road and nothing else. The road is not yet paved that was expected to happen following bridge construction. Abandoned bridge hidden deep in the San Gabriel Mountains. I agree and consent to receiveemails from Visit California and its partners with special offers and exclusive content and that I am at least 18 years old, Its all form and no function at this architectural marvel. Sarah Palin let the "Road to Nowhere . Boudreau spoke to Mike Elerding, Palin's former campaign coordinator. Megan McDonald is a writer, photographer, and owner of HuMu Media, an Alaska-based media company. Transportation officials at the time replied that the road was built with the support of Gov. I suppose I should point out that the Bridge is not technically Alaskas famed Bridge to Nowhere, but the nomenclature seems to fit rightly enough. But some of that money was still spent building a road to nowhere. But the deal had been signed just before she took office in December 2006, Stapleton said. June 22, 2022; justin jefferson under armour contract; guardala mouthpiece history; pictures of the bridge to nowhere in alaska It reaches 296 feet above Hurricane Creek for a full span of 918 feetthe longest and tallest bridge on the Alaska Railroad. With about three-tenths of 1 percent of the borough's land privately owned and available for development, Ketchikan needs more land, he said. JUNEAU, Alaska Some called it a bridge to the future. Weight Limit is 10 tons. The 8,000 residents of Ketchikan continue to be connected to their airport by ferry. "Gov. SIEGEL: Senator McCain has been assailing the Bridge to Nowhere as the epitome of what's wrong with Washington ever since the spring of 2004. Mr. ASHDOWN: Tim Egan, he's a New York Times reporter who's an expert on Alaska, all things Alaska, and he'd read our write-up on the bridge. The decision in September 2004 was actually for two bridges, connecting Pennock Island in the middle, and is known as Alternative F1. Located on a hiking trail in Denali National Park, this easy trail takes you along the river to a bridge right in the middle of nowhere. Instead, the road now ends, as it has since it was completed years ago, amid nothing but muskeg and scrub forest. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. It is built of . What did you think? Remember Alaska's "Bridge to Nowhere," a $400 million span that was supposed to connect Ketchikan to its airport on sparsely inhabited Gravina Island? While discussing the Gravina Island Bridge during an ABC News interview that aired on September 12, 2008, Charles Gibson made the following comment: "but it's now pretty clearly documented. You need to come visit the Clearwater/St.Pete area of Florida. You supported that bridge before you opposed it. Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and its clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. [19], In October 2006, when asked, "Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges? This covered bridge could have elevators and escalators; if medical personnel need to reach the ferry, they can use it. Meadow on one side, meadow on the other. McCain himself also weighed in on the Gravina Island Bridge. 1. selfish shortsightedness in sending these scoundrels to Washington people of Alaska and to responsible members of Congress who now Every flight into Gravina Island requires a 15-minute ferry ride to reach the more densely populated Revillagigedo Island. the blue duck lodge located in the whanganui national park is a working cattle farm with a focus on conservation. (Creative Commons photo by Bob Weinstein) Ketchikan . in the state's newspapers, and the papers' editors have also On Friday, Leo von Scheben, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, said the bridge money could be used to build roads in Alaska. The legend on the shirt was "Nowhere Alaska 99901", referencing the buzzword of "Bridge to Nowhere" and the primary ZIP code of Ketchikan. Mr. ASHDOWN: That's right. Share. June 30, 2022. KETCHIKAN, Alaska (CNN) -- The "Bridge to Nowhere" may have been shelved. Congress should be eager to zero out its funding. And she actively was an advocate for it. Mr. ASHDOWN: Right. 662: Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011[4][5][6] The next year, they changed the language. measure," BNA reported. The bridge has a height of 50ft and a width of 100 feet. And every day, she repeats that she told Washington, thanks, but no thanks. "Much of the public's attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here," Palin said. While the move closes a chapter that has brought the state reams of ridicule, it also leaves open wounds in a community that fought for decades to get federal help. by the House of Representatives, and finally cancelled in 2015. ANCHORAGE The bridge to nowhere is still trying to get somewhere. For the first eight years after its completion in 1921, it was the tallest bridge in the United States. Sarah Palin said Friday the project was $329 million short of full funding. effective thing that the residents of Ketchikan could do to help Available for both RF and RM licensing. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Back in 2005, Young and Sen. Stevens tried to get $223 million for the bridge. The Gravina Island bridge project is an embarrassment to the people The critics called the road spending wasteful for the same reason. The Gilahina Trestle is now listed on the National Historic Register, which means itll probably come in for some funding to repair/restore it. There is a lot of snow out there already, or is this from last year? And in fact, John McCain had picked up on the Bridge to Nowhere more than a year before that. [10] The bridge would cross the Tongass Narrows, part of Alaska's Inside Passage, so the bridge was designed to be tall enough to accommodate ship traffic, including the Alaska Marine Highway and the cruise ships that frequent Alaskan waters during the summer. Don Barrett/Flickr. Alaska should request that the funds appropriated for our bridges