Alaska's Road to Nowhere

NY Times ^ | August 20, 2005 | HEATHER LENDE

[neverdem]

YOU have probably already heard about the pile of cash going to Alaska from the federal transportation bill. There's about a quarter of a billion dollars for a bridge to connect the airport on Gravina Island to Ketchikan (population 14,000). The bridge will rival the Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridges in length and height.

Then there's $230 million or so for "Don Young's Way," a bridge between Anchorage and a swampy, undeveloped port, which is named for the man who got us the money, Alaska's lone congressman.

But it's the $15 million designated for a road between Juneau and Skagway that is dearest to me. Haines, the small town I live in, is close to Skagway - separated from it only by the waters of the upper Lynn Canal, which is not a canal at all, but the longest fjord in North America. The transportation money will go toward the first road ever to be built along the canal. Actually, the project will cost about $300 million to complete, but Gov. Frank Murkowski assures Alaskans that he'll get whatever he needs from the federal government.

The communities directly affected - Haines (population 2,400), Skagway (population 870) and Juneau (population 31,000) - have voiced opposition to the road for a host of good reasons: it is a waste of money; with at least two dozen avalanche chutes, it will be too dangerous to drive in winter, which is most of the year; we already have a fine ferry system that gets us just about everywhere we need to go in all kinds of weather; some places are too nice to be paved over.

Oh, and did I mention that the road won't fulfill its ostensible mission? The whole purpose of the new road was to connect Juneau to the Klondike Highway...

[operation clinton cleanup]

Buy a piece of land at $4000 an acre and get to work.

Does the 4G's include sewer service? Just asking.

[olezip]

Perhaps a bridge will attract more people to the area. Ketchikan may have a relatively small population, but it is on the Alaska Marine Highway and thus sees a lot of "traffic." Why not build a bridge that will last? Certainly pique's my interest in driving there.

[IronJack]

Gov. Frank Murkowski assures Alaskans that he'll get whatever he needs from the federal government.

Translation: He'll get whatever he needs from you and me.

Isn't Ted Stevens the leading trough-pillager in the Senate?

[AFreeBird]

Ingrates. Cede Alaska back to Russia.

So the people of Alaska are ingrates for refusing federal money (our tax dollars) for a road they don't feel they need, nor want?

What are you; some sort of liberal tax and spender?

[cynicom]

That was a little tongue in cheek.

[Brilliant]

With a $350 billion deficit and $3.00 a gallon gasoline, the last thing we need is a $289 billion highway bill.

I say vote the bastards out in 2006.

[thackney]

Likewise, those living in New York can pay for their bridges; those living in Kansas can pay for theirs; and so on. Why must the federal government pay for everything?

I'm guessing you don't complain about the revenue generated by Alaska on oil leases and royalities as well as fees and taxes on our other resources. We would like to continue to expand the infrastructure to provide for the people that expand those fields, mines and fishing catches.

[John Lenin]

Words of wisdom from the King of Pork
"They call me 'The Pork King,' they don't know how much I enjoy it." - Sen. Robert Byrd

In 2005, Senator Robert C. Byrd managed to claw $399 million in pork for West Virginia, or $220 for every single resident, using his privileged position as ranking chairman of the Appropriations Committee. After he secured $97 million in fiscal 1999, Byrd became the first person in CAGW's Congressional Pig Book history to obtain more than $1 billion in pork for his state. In honor of this fiscal incontinence, we dedicate this page to Senator Byrd.





Sen. Byrd has set a new standard for taxpayer-funded narcissism by convincing the West Virginia Legislature to erect a statue of himself in the state Capitol. The statue's completion violates state law prohibiting statues of government officials until they have been dead for half a century.

[RightWhale]

If you want utilities add $36,000 per acre and stay inside incorporated city boundaries. Water/sewer/gas will be available [much] later at extra cost, although electric/telephone/cable is available in most areas immediately. Police and fire protection may not be available any time before the Second Coming unless the entire district is on fire.

[Kirkwood]

No need to worry about winter driving. Alaska will be the next Florida with all of this global warming. /sarc

[fella]

This would all be funny if it wasn't all about corruption. It's just the politicals useing our own money to by our votes to keep themselves in power so they can do it all over again. They're just tapping into the basic greed of human nature by offering a free lunch.

[Logophile]

I'm guessing you don't complain about the revenue generated by Alaska on oil leases and royalities as well as fees and taxes on our other resources. We would like to continue to expand the infrastructure to provide for the people that expand those fields, mines and fishing catches.

Well, actually I do complain about fees and taxes. I have yet to meet a tax that could not be improved by drastic cutting or elimination.

If the purpose of expanding the "infrastructure" is to promote economic growth, I am all for it. But I would prefer that local building projects be funded by private investors first, by local and state governments second, and by federal government hardly at all. (The federal government should build military bases, federal courthouses, and the like, but that is about it.)

Pork-barrel spending is not as benign as some would have us believe. Not only does it increase the burden on the taxpayers and waste their money; but federally funded projects too often turn into boondoggles that do more harm than good.

[henderson field]

You could call them "reactionaries" or you could call them people who don't like new roads and especially don't like paying for new roads.

[Kozak]

In the previous thread with this article months ago, someone ran that numbers on how much a population of 14,000 pays in taxes and found that the payments will cover the cost of the bridge.

It works out to 18k for every man woman and child. You also absolve them I suppose of their share of defense, welfare, etc etc etc. Hey it's only Federal pork so every pig needs to grab a tit.

[steve86]

I'd rather build bridges to swamps in Alaska than dump money into swamps in Iraq.

[Kozak]

"Couple million here, couple million there, pretty soon you're talking about serious money."
Sen. Everett Dirksen
U.S. politician, leader of the Senate Republicans during the
Kennedy and Johnson administrations.(1896-1969)


Yeah lets just keep sloping the hogs at the pork barrel./sarcasm

[Paul C. Jesup]

It works out to 18k for every man woman and child. You also absolve them I suppose of their share of defense, welfare, etc etc etc. Hey it's only Federal pork so every pig needs to grab a tit.

Actually, it's muscle, not pork, a bridge to the airport would increase the economy in the area, thus bringing more tax revenue. As such, it can be viewed more as an investment than pork.

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm sitting on Annette Island, wishing it wasn't raining, so that I could take the liberty boat over to Ketchikan for an adult beverage or two. Alaska does need more roads, and yes, they are expensive to build. The road from Metlakatla to the north end of Annette has been under construction for quite a while, and will greatly improve the lives of the citizens of Metlakatla.

/john

[Kozak]

If it's such a GREAT deal, why can't Alaska pay for it out of, oh say the money they send to every resident out of oil revenue? Here piggy piggy......

[sharktrager]

The journalist is an Alaskan.