But the deal had been signed just before she took office in December 2006, Stapleton said. measure," BNA reported. Follow it to find a gorge railroad bridge, where occasionally you may even see the Alaska Railroad pass overhead! Dubbed the "bridge to nowhere," it would have connected the small city of Ketchikan to its airport on nearby Gravina island, and it secured a $223 million earmark in 2005. House and Senate Republican negotiators take legislative wrecking ball to two Alaskan 'bridges to nowhere' that have become national symbols of spending excess and political albatross; federal . Bridgehunter.com | Kougarok River Bridge Ketchikan Republicans censure Sarah Palin over 'bridge to nowhere And one night, had a couple beers in me, and I got a little more creative and I came up with the term Bridge to Nowhere. Gov. We're talking, of course, about the famed plan to build a nearly $400 million bridge to connect the tiny Alaska city of Ketchikan to Gravina, an island with just a few dozen residents and an airport. The bridge was projected to cost $398 million. If youre looking for a fun adventure outside, this bridge to nowhere in Alaska is a great place to start! But Palin, now the Republican vice presidential candidate, let the access road go ahead because the contract to build it had been signed, a campaign aide said. Bridge to Nowhere. 3058 (109th): Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, -- GovTrack.us", "Stevens Vehemently Opposes Coburn Amendment to Eliminate Alaska Bridges", "Stevens says he'll quit if bridge funds diverted", "For a Senate Foe of Pork Barrel Spending, Two Bridges Too Far", "Palin touts stance on 'Bridge to Nowhere,' doesn't note flip-flop", "Palin criticized during gubernatorial campaign for her support of Gravina Island Bridge", "Palin voiced initial support for the proposed Gravina Island bridge during campaign", "Palin defends the bridge project, asks people to band together", "Palin Criticized during gubernatorial campaign for her support of Gravina Island Bridge", "Palin "bridge to nowhere" line angers many Alaskans", "DOT 'leaning' toward ferries; cites bridge cost", "Palin was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it", "Congress earmark alteration for Alaska prompts Governor Palin's new state budget without bridge", "Lawmakers deal with voter anger over 'pork', "Ted Earmarked Funds for Bridge that Goes Nowhere", "Palin changed her mind for public expediency", "Alaska abandons controversial Ketchikan bridge project", "Record Contradicts Palin's 'Bridge' Claims", "Fact Check: Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere", "Account of a Bridge's Death Slightly Exaggerated", "As Campaign Heats Up, Untruths Can Become Facts Before They're Undone", "McCain Blasts Palin's "Bridge to Nowhere", "McCain Blamed Bridge collapse on Bridge to Nowhere", "McCain connected 35W bridge collapse to Palin's pork", "Excerpts: Charlie Gibson Interviews GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin", "Press picks over litter of lies on the Palin trail US Election", "Sarah Palin said yes, thanks, to a road to nowhere in Alaska", "Bailout Negotiations Continue; FBI Targets Wall Street Firms", "Palin Defends Construction of 'Road to Nowhere', H.R.662 - Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011, "Gravina Access Project, Environmental Impact Statement, Figure 2.10, Alternative F1, Bridges (200' East and 120' West), Between Tongass Avenue and Airport, via Pennock Island: Alignment". Gov. How a 'bridge to nowhere' became a road from nowhere to nowhere The 3.2-mile-long partially paved "road to nowhere" meanders from a small international airport on Gravina Island, home . The train bridge may be the most famous and scenic bridge in Alaska, subject of many iconic photographs. Senator Coburn's amendment to defund the bridge, one prominent Read Abbie Boudreau's "backstory" blog on "Road to nowhere". A local newscast about Sarah Palin's history on the infamous pork project. 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. Ive really enjoyed your photos. The road is not yet paved that was expected to happen following bridge construction. They called the state's decision premature, saying it came without warning. I sure enjoyed my visit to your beautiful town! In August 2007, Alaska's Department of Transportation stated that it was "leaning" toward alternative ferry options, citing bridge costs and the reluctance of Governor Palin to pay the state's match to the appropriated federal funds. Ketchikan looks like a densely populated little strip. The bridge is 1,550 feet (470 m) long across the Copper River. The California State Route 39 highway was supposed to connect the city of Los Angeles with rural communities in the San Gabriel . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The project wasn't going to be cheap, though: $398 million was the projected cost, and the project encountered steep opposition in the United States Congress in 2005. Bridge to Nowhere (1986) - IMDb You can add on to the loop by taking other trails that connect and making it longer. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Origins Of Bridge To Nowhere Explained : NPR Palin directed state transportation officials to find the most "fiscally responsible" alternative for access to the airport. A bridge to nowhere | Salon.com The bridge was projected to cost $398 million. [55], In 2015, after consideration of several lower-cost options, the Gravina Island Bridge project was finally cancelled, an improved ferry service being selected instead of constructing the bridge.[7]. (population 8,900) with its airport on the Island of Gravina Under mounting political pressure over pork projects, Congress stripped the earmark or stipulation that the money be used for the airport, but still sent the money to the state for any use it deemed appropriate. Alaska should request that the funds appropriated for our bridges of Alaska Sarah Palin holds a T-shirt with the zip code for Ketchikan, Alaska, on it at a gubernatorial campaign forum in September 2006. Sarah Palin let the "Road to Nowhere . area.". Mr. ASHDOWN: No. authority to be trusted with hard-earned tax dollars. The 3.2-mile road was built at a cost of $28 million by Kiewit Pacific Co. of Anchorage. Alaskas Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere The Gilahina Trestle fades into winter, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. fact would be a considerable benefit to Alaska. 3058 [109th]'s first version passed the U.S. Senate with 93 votes for, 1 against. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. A larger bridge was built upstream, along with a dam that rerouted the river. some of its pork, they fear, so might they. As a side note, you might notice that many of the rivers in the Wrangell-St. Elias region seem to end with the sound na Chitina river, Kuskulana river, Nazina river, Tana river, etc, are a few Ive mentioned on this blog before. The proposed $400 million span that would have connected the coastal city of Ketchikan to its airport on Gravina Island died after it became a symbol of congressional excess. [34], The city of Ketchikan has already begun to develop roads and a small amount of infrastructure for Gravina Island's 50 inhabitants. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Abandoned bridge hidden deep in the San Gabriel Mountains. When she was running for governor in 2006, Palin said she was insulted by the term "bridge to nowhere," according to Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein, a Democrat, and Mike Elerding, a Republican . From Alaska's 'bridge to nowhere' to Pyongyang's Hotel of Doom, via a 1bn arts centre with a dodgy roof, here are the world's most high-profile wastes of capital . The island is connected to the city by a ferry that runs to the airport, well past the point where the bridge was to have been built. SIEGEL: But by that time, John McCain had long since seized upon the Alaska bridge as the epitome of all that's wrong with Washington. Anchorage Daily News, Diane Mucha of Eagle River wrote, "Of "There's no one on this road," she said. iReport.com: Are you in a battleground state? His advertising and comments that (before September 21, 2006) contradicted Governor Sarah Palin's support of the bridge drew the attention of the media[46] when he chose Palin as his running mate, opening the ticket to charges of hypocrisy. 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. Mr. ASHDOWN: Yeah. The trail crosses the river so often that you quickly . 56.9120, 22.9756 Notes . 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. Crazy times. ROBERT SIEGEL, host: Even at $223 million, the earmarks for the bridge that was supposed to connect Ketchikan to Gravina Island, Alaska, population roughly 50, has had remarkably durable legs as a . There were a few different options created for the bridge and Im not sure what the final decision was as I moved from the area a few years ago, but I know several of the plans had the bridge quite a ways south of town, which would mean having to build a new road over on Gravina through an area that is not currently developed. Bridge to Nowhere - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides The bridge has a height of 50ft and a width of 100 feet. According to USA Today, the bridge was to have been nearly as long as the Golden Gate Bridge, which is 1.7mi (2.7km) long, and "higher than the Brooklyn Bridge". SIEGEL: Was there any moment in Governor Palin's handling of this appropriation that can be construed as her saying thanks, but no thanks? But it still hopes to acquire more land there for future development, he said. [12] The west span of the bridge was designed to have a vertical clearance of 120 feet (37m), and the east span of the bridge was to have a vertical clearance of 200 feet (61m). So the tipping point, according to McCain was a year before Palin ran in Alaska supporting the bridge. This is also the site of Southern Californias only commercial bungee-jumping operation, run by Bungee America. The governor urged Alaskans not to dwell on the bridge. When new Gov. September 2006: Palin, campaigning for governor in Ketchikan, holds up a pro-bridge T-shirt proclaiming, "Nowhere Alaska 99901," referring to the primary zip code of Ketchikan. and voting to keep them there. Ketchikan is Alaska's entry port for northbound cruise ships that bring more than 1 million visitors yearly. One Sunday not that - couple of years ago, on the front of Parade, the insert in everybody's Sunday newspaper was the picture of the bridge. 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. Its since fallen into some disrepair, as is evident from this image. The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. 546 reviews of Bridge to Nowhere "This hike reigns supreme as my favorite day hike in SoCal. Most importantly, pushing back would show the nation that Alaska's Gravina Island (population less than 50) will soon be connected to the megalopolis of Ketchikan (pop. Its a rickety ole job, at this point, and walking across it with nearly a foot of snow covering each board was, uhhm, sketchy. Earmarking foes and fiscal . the bridge to nowhere is a unique and historical landmark in the development of new zealand. Fourteen years on, Palin's 'bridge to nowhere' comment still resounds. course, Alaska should and, hopefully, will volunteer to reject the Alaska 'bridge to nowhere,' the Knik Arm Crossing Project, still on the SIEGEL: Ultimately though, if the earmark was changed, it no longer was dedicating this $223 million to the bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island. In American politics, Alaska is famous for wasted money on a "bridge to nowhere" in the early 2000s. . objected to the bridge on their editorial pages. To get to the trailhead: From the 210 freeway in Azusa, take exit 40 north on Route 39. Sarah Palin holds up a T-shirt labeled "Nowhere, Alaska 99901" during a gubernatorial campaign forum in Ketchikan in 2006. Fourteen years on, Palin's 'bridge to nowhere' comment still resounds
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