H.R. The audit also said the highway construction appeared to have been rushed to get it done before Murkowski left office, and that the department violated procurement rules by shortening bidding deadlines to get the construction awarded. A proposed Alaska bridge that became a symbol of wasteful federal spending on politicians' pet projects has officially been scrapped a decade after the idea was first floated, state officials said on Friday. Now, thanks to recent news events, this image just may havea life after all. What some people might not realize is that Bridge to Nowhere was actually part of a major infrastructure project. threat. 546 reviews of Bridge to Nowhere "This hike reigns supreme as my favorite day hike in SoCal. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Let us know in the comments below! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. But it still hopes to acquire more land there for future development, he said. When new Gov. Images taken 8-19-07. I think were going to make a good team as we progress that bridge project" in response to an insult expressed by the state Senate president, Ben Stevens. The project also had a history of federal appropriations showing support there as well, it said. Senator told a closed-door meeting of conservatives that the plan One very large bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island, where the city's airport is. Although you'll see lots of people picnicking and camping towards the beginning of the trail, as you trek further out closer to the bridge, it is much easier to find a place of your own. They called the state's decision premature, saying it came without warning. And I think it coalesced a lot of things that he had seen into, you know, one word. 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. DOT's Woodrow said that because the official "purpose and need" statement of the Gravina Access Project was not just to improve access to the airport but also to open developable land on Gravina Island, it is unlikely federal transportation officials will demand repayment. But I made it out for a few photos and back in one piece. way of three separate earmarks in the recent highway bill. Get more stories delivered right to your email. If youre visiting Denali National Park, youll want to read all about these15 Fascinating Things You Probably Didnt Know About Denali National Park. Nice to actually see where my tax dollars were supposed to be spent (hope you enjoyed them even if you didnt get the bridge ). Alaska Vacations & Travel Advice from Trusted Alaskans In her public comments, referring to her own residence in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, she said: "OK, youve got Valley trash standing here in the middle of nowhere. In 2006, with the bridge in dispute and increasingly unlikely to ever be built, then-Gov. Palin's campaign coordinator in the city, Republican Mike Elerding, remarked, "She said 'thanks but no thanks,' but they kept the money." Fourteen years on, Palin's 'bridge to nowhere' comment still resounds by the House of Representatives, and finally cancelled in 2015. "There is no question we desperately need to construct new roads in this state, including in southeast Alaska, where skyrocketing costs for the Alaska Marine Highway System present an impediment to the state's budget and the region's economy," von Scheben said in a statement. 1. Much of the publics attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. Collect, curate and comment on your files. In the meantime, Bridge to Nowhere works for me. Times Staff Writer. Thanks for the Ketchikan perspective. [54] The motion lost and the funding was kept. The bridge has On Friday, Leo von Scheben, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, said the bridge money could be used to build roads in Alaska. She has dropped the line from her stump speech in the past week, but a McCain-Palin aide said that her prepared remarks are being tweaked as needed to reflect current events, and it could come back again. September 25, 2011. The governor urged Alaskans not to dwell on the bridge. But the "Road to Nowhere" is alive and well. (population 50) at a cost to federal taxpayers of $320 million, by [29][30][31] Palin stated: Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer. Bridge to Nowhere could not happen again, Schumer says KETCHIKAN, Alaska (CNN) -- The "Bridge to Nowhere" may have been shelved. 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 campaign issue. Mr. ASHDOWN: The senator is a friend of taxpayers, but that's an incorrect statement. 10,955 Bridge To Nowhere Premium High Res Photos Bridge to Nowhere (1986) - IMDb 662 passed both houses of Congress and became Public Law 112-5. Follow it to find a gorge railroad bridge, where occasionally you may even see the Alaska Railroad pass overhead! And every day, she repeats that she told Washington, thanks, but no thanks. Improved access was to have come from the controversial bridge, but with bridge plans officially abandoned recently, the state is now looking to better ferry service to improve access to the airport and help open Gravina Island to development. Bridge To Nowhere Alaska | Last Bridge to Nowhere (Ketchikan, Nome 396 Bridge To Nowhere California Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images Biden's bridge to nowhere - Yahoo! News Ronald Utt is the Herbert and Joyce Morgan Senior Research Fellow. would be to return the money earmarked for our Gravina Bridge. The Bridge To Nowhere In Alaska Will Capture Your Imagination 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. JUNEAU -- The name "Bridge to Nowhere" still rankles in Ketchikan 10 years after congressional opponents of earmarks used it to attack federal money for the bridge to nearby Gravina Island and the city's airport. We have beautiful beaches with white sugar sand That would make for some gorgeous photos. How a 'bridge to nowhere' became a road from nowhere to nowhere Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos 8 Wondrous Bridges to Nowhere - Atlas Obscura Lists "Maybe if we had done it right, maybe some of that money would have gone to inspect those bridges and other bridges around the country," McCain told a group of people in a town-hall style meeting in Ankeny, Iowa. In fact, rumor has it this bridge was a model for San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The whole bridge project was originally estimated to cost $230 million, including the associated roads. Today, Senator Tom 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. Meandering through a forest, and along a gorgeous river, this hike offers it all. 56.9120, 22.9756 Notes . The Bridge to Nowhere: A National Embarrassment It is already doing that, even if nothing has yet been built there, said DOT environmental planner John Barnett. defenders have been forced to resort to threats. It charges $6 per adult, with free same-day return, and $7 per automobile also with same day return as of April 2021.[9]. [50][51], CNN reporter Abbie Boudreau took a helicopter over the road. Nowhere," the bridge in Alaska would connect the town of Ketchikan Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage But the three-mile access road that was built on the island is ready for residents to take a drive to nowhere. The 3.2-mile-long partially paved "road to nowhere" meanders from a small international airport on Gravina Island, home . sum of little consequence; what the Senator sees as a problem in Senator's numbers are right, Alaska's Department of Transportation The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. Palin directed state transportation officials to find the most "fiscally responsible" alternative for access to the airport. At Bridgehunter.com | Kougarok River Bridge Republican U.S. House candidates Sarah Palin (on screen) and Nick . Market data provided by Factset. 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. The road is not yet paved that was expected to happen following bridge construction. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. Bridge to Nowhere. Alaska 'bridge to nowhere,' the Knik Arm Crossing Project, still on the There is a lot of snow out there already, or is this from last year? The little bit of development you do see on Gravina Island is the Ketchikan Airport, currently serviced by a ferry. Bridge to Nowhere Photo - Photo Blog - Niebrugge Images There are so many great ways to enjoy this hike. Congress should be eager to zero out its funding. find themselves tarred by the same brush dipped in the muck of the the removal of the project in a technical corrections bill or other I have a feeling this might have some legs in it still. Your first glimpse of the bridge is astonishingits much larger and majestic than youd expectbut the weirdness doesnt stop here. Alaska kills 'bridge to nowhere' that helped put end to earmarks Palin "bridge to nowhere" line angers many Alaskans | Reuters Last summer while I was in Ketchikan, I hiked up the hill above town to get a better perspective of the destination for the "Bridge to Nowhere". Click for larger version. She spends her free time traveling with her husband and daughter, and loves to see and experience new things! Bridge to Nowhere - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides Clifford Winston Sunday, April 13, 2014. On the Road to Nowhere: Abandoned Bridges - Atlas Obscura The hike starts out weaving in and out the trees beneath the shaded cover of a well maintained path. In the PS- It's PAY-lin [revised 2008-08-31] Gov Palin did NOT reject the pork from Sen. Stevens. Alaska Rep. Don Young brought the world the "Bridge to Nowhere.". Abandoned McPhaul "Bridge to Nowhere" in Yuma, Arizona in the state's newspapers, and the papers' editors have also ", she answered: "Yes. was simply impractical. "We will continue to look for options for Ketchikan to allow better access to the island," the Republican governor said. Alaska Knows the Real Story of the Bridge to Nowhere - YouTube However, residents continue to seek funding for the Ketchikan-Gravina span. 17 July, 2021 Pictured: Children jump off the famous Bridge to Nowhere at Belhaven Bay in Dunbar as the sun sets on the Bass Rock. 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. It reaches 296 feet above Hurricane Creek for a full span of 918 feetthe longest and tallest bridge on the Alaska Railroad. [18], In September 2006, during her campaign for Governor, Sarah Palin visited Ketchikan to express her support for the Gravina Island Bridge project. (Creative Commons photo by Bob Weinstein) Ketchikan . Spanning the Gila River, the McPhaul Bridge was built in 1929 and is just shy of 800 feet in length. When asked if he felt the road was "a waste of taxpayer money", he responded, "Without the bridge, yeah." its remote location makes it a rare tourist sigh - bridge to nowhere stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images 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. money for the bridges to nowhere and Congress will apply the money Share your stories, Palin meets with world leaders ahead of VP debate, Obama: McCain wants to 'gamble' with Social Security, Read Abbie Boudreau's "backstory" blog on "Road to nowhere", Road on Alaskan island was built with some of $223 million in taxpayer money, Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein calls the road a waste of money, Road was supposed to be access connector to the failed 'Bridge to Nowhere', 'Bridge to Nowhere' has become symbol of excessive spending. Sarah Palin let the "Road to Nowhere . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D., This is a video I made with Eric Ledgin and Sarah North about Alaska's attempt to build a 400 Million Dollar Bridge connecting Ketchikan, Alaska to it's airp. 'Bridge to Nowhere' Timeline ProPublica