“If the bridge was canceled, give the money back, or get the earmark removed, or redesign the road so it’s better for development,” he said. “If Sarah Palin is not being truthful on an issue like the Gravina bridge project, what else is she not being truthful about?”Īlaska transportation officials say construction of the road began in June 2007 because the state was still hoping to build a bridge, and “you need that highway access,” said Roger Wetherell, a department spokesman.īut Weinstein, who backed the bridge project, said that Palin should have redirected the money. “Here’s my question,” said Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein. She held on to the $223 million in federally earmarked funds for other uses, such as the Gravina road, approved by her predecessor. It became apparent after she was elected that the state’s portion would be too costly, and Palin ordered transportation officials to abandon the project. But Weinstein, a Democrat, said Palin instead spent $26 million to build a road "that will not go to a bridge.But in 2006, Palin stood before residents in this region during her gubernatorial campaign and expressed support for the bridge. "The governor was left no viable alternative," Stapleton said.įor the first two weeks of her campaign, Palin routinely told audiences in her stump speech that she told Congress "thanks, but no thanks" for the bridge, which was backed by the leaders of Alaska's congressional delegation. But the deal had been signed just before she took office in December 2006, Stapleton said. "I mean, it's pretty here." Read Abbie Boudreau's "backstory" blog on "Road to nowhere"Ĭampaign spokeswoman Meg Stapleton said Palin would not have allowed the road project to go forward under normal circumstances. "It'd be nice to see them put something over here now they have a road: park, picnic benches, something to get people out here," said P.J. But some locals said they'll find some way to use the road, such as running or bicycle riding. 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. Obama: McCain wants to 'gamble' with Social Security.Palin meets with world leaders ahead of VP debate.Palin could have stopped construction of this road," said Weinstein, who wore his "Nowhere, Alaska" T-shirt to an interview with CNN.
Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein calls the road, which was paid for by federal tax dollars, a waste of money that could have been used to fix his city's roads and sidewalks. : Are you in a battleground state? Share your stories 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. Sarah Palin has touted her eventual decision to abandon the Gravina Island bridge, which she initially supported. It was paid for by some of the $223 million in federal funding that sparked ridicule among opponents of congressional "pork-barrel" spending. 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.īut the three-mile access road that was built on the island is ready for residents to take a drive to nowhere.
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