Dubbed the "Bridge to The road is not yet paved that was expected to happen following bridge construction. 10,957 Bridge To Nowhere Premium High Res Photos SIEGEL: You must have felt like you just completed a touchdown pass, you're thinking Mr. ASHDOWN: Yeah, I thought it was done. Two 'Bridges to Nowhere' Tumble Down in Congress Don Barrett/Flickr. 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. I would not get in the way of progress. Download Bridge To Nowhere stock photos. SIEGEL: Ultimately though, if the earmark was changed, it no longer was dedicating this $223 million to the bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island. All rights reserved. She killed the bridge and saved taxpayers money. In 1938, a flood washed out the partly completed road to the south, leaving the 120-foot-high structure stranded. 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. highway bill. So the tipping point, according to McCain was a year before Palin ran in Alaska supporting the bridge. 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 . 8 Wondrous Bridges to Nowhere - Atlas Obscura Lists Ketchikan looks like a densely populated little strip. (Creative Commons photo by Bob Weinstein) Ketchikan . [21][22][23][24][25], During her inaugural address on December 4, 2006, Governor Palin pledged responsible spending. The final stretch leads to the high-walled canyon known as the Narrows, where water squeezes through a deep and narrow gorge, spanned by the Bridge to Nowhere. Last summer while I was in Ketchikan, I hiked upthe hill above town to get a better perspective of the destinationfor the Bridge to Nowhere. Commentary: The Bridge To Nowhere - not in Alaska but in lovely Edmonds "But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened.". She said the best option would be to upgrade the ferry system. "Gov. 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. 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. 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. Just a little under 40 years later, in 1968, it was deemed unfit for modern traffic needs not difficult to understand, given its narrow width. Bridge to Nowhere. The little bit of development you do see on Gravina Island is the Ketchikan Airport, currently serviced by a ferry. Unfinished highway bridges at the water reservoir Svihov. Question: Where Is The Bridge To Nowhere - BikeHike And it redirected it to Alaska but it wasn't earmarked legally to that one project. The controversy began with the 2006 National Appropriations Bill, an omnibus spending bill covering transportation, housing, and urban development for the following year. 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. 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 . Today, Senator Tom This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Ive really enjoyed your photos. "[47], Many media groups in the U.S. noted that Palin changed her position regarding the bridges, and concluded that she exaggerated her claim that she stopped the proposals from going through. Seven fish-bearing streams needed bridges. The bridge has a height of 50ft and a width of 100 feet. H.R. Palin's Chief of Staff, Billy Moening, has been praised by many Republican strategists for recommending Palin change her stance on the bridge. Alaska kills 'bridge to nowhere' that helped put end to earmarks become an object of national ridicule and a symbol of the fiscal Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. But the "Road to Nowhere" is alive and well. Or if your idea of fun is plunging off the side of a bridge, a bungee cord attached to catch your fall, then you could be up there too. [50][52], Alaska Department of Transportation spokesman Roger Wetherell disagreed, stating that Palin could have canceled the contract upon taking office and reimbursed contractors for any expenses incurred in association with the project, as happened when Palin cancelled a $18.6 million contract on a Juneau road and reimbursed the contractor for $65,500 in expenses. The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. Theres no Mickey Ds, but theres a good spot to camp, and delicious, crystal clear water in the Gilahina River. Palin said yes to a road to nowhere - Los Angeles Times Keith Ashdown, the chief investigator for the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, is credited with naming the bridge. Behind the Bridge to Nowhere Ketchikan Alaska As We See It - Through You know, wearing shirts that said I'm from nowhere Alaska to saying, we have to support our congressional delegation, their efforts to bring money back to our state. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The Gilahina Trestle is now listed on the National Historic Register, which means it'll probably come in for some . [38][39][40][41] Howard Kurtz called this a "whopper", writing: "She endorsed the remote project while running for governor in 2006, claimed to be an opponent only after Congress killed its funding the next year and has used the $223 million provided for it for other state ventures. 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. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. On Friday, Alaska decided the bridge really was going nowhere, officially abandoning the project in Ketchikan that became a national symbol of federal pork-barrel spending. LOL. Biden's bridge to nowhere - Yahoo! News Foundation. [2] As a result, Congress removed the federal earmark for the bridge in 2005. 10 Bridge To Nowhere Was Built In 1936 As Part Of The California State Route 39 Highway Project. The one section to the left looks like it is about to fall down already. She said there wasn't enough money to . But Alaska still got the money. pictures of the bridge to nowhere in alaska - kestonrocks.com SIEGEL: Was there any moment in Governor Palin's handling of this appropriation that can be construed as her saying thanks, but no thanks? 662: Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011[4][5][6] 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. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. was simply impractical. Bridge to Nowhere is an unforgettable hike, and an understandable Los Angeles favorite. 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. ", David Raskin of 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. But I made it out for a few photos and back in one piece. And yes, the cruise ship issue is a huge money costing factor as well as far as how big the bridge would have to be. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The bridge was projected to cost $398 million. [32][33], Asked why she initially supported the bridge, Palin's communications director Bill McAllister said, "It was never at the top of her priority list, and in fact the project isn't necessarily dead there's still the potential for improved ferry service or even a bridge of a less costly design". Congress should be eager to zero out its funding. You guys do an amazing job! pictures of the bridge to nowhere in alaska revolve corset tulle gown / self catering accommodation fish hoek / pictures of the bridge to nowhere in alaska By 21 Feb 2022 RMAJN58E - Florida Keys Old Overseas Highway Bridge Bridge to Nowhere old 7-mile bridge with missing section RM 2G88E11 - Dunbar, United Kingdom. Ketchikan, Alaska is infamous for the now-abandoned plan to expensively bridge the strait between the city and its international airport on Gravina Island, dubbed (IMO, unfairly) a "bridge to nowhere". Perhaps the Port and the City team up and construct a bridge near Harbor Square. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Mr. ASHDOWN: That's right. News, Dave Person wrote, "Thinking about the immense Where is Palin and bridge to Nowhere Alaska - Grassroots Science Sarah Palin as the controversy was unfolding and she told him . One very large bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island, where the city's airport is. Palin directed state transportation officials to find the most "fiscally responsible" alternative for access to the airport. 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". I never did anything with this photo, once the funding was lost and the project fell out of the news, the image had little value . ANCHORAGE The bridge to nowhere is still trying to get somewhere. Assuming the In American politics, Alaska is famous for wasted money on a "bridge to nowhere" in the early 2000s. SIEGEL: 2004, April 10th, 2004 an article appears in the New York Times in which you're quoted. It was good that this project was killed by Governor Palin, but it's not correct that it saved any money. And in the last few years, the Alaska Republican has been a poster boy for congressional spending critics. ", In the Ketchikan by the House of Representatives, and finally cancelled in 2015. He wrote this excellent piece which I think basically was its introduction to the national audience. The decision in September 2004 was actually for two bridges, connecting Pennock Island in the middle, and is known as Alternative F1.