JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s so-called bridge to nowhere, derided by critics as an example of congressional earmarks run amok, appears dead.
State transportation department officials have spurned the idea of building a bridge to connect the southeast Alaska community of Ketchikan to its airport on a neighboring island. Instead, the department is endorsing the continued use of ferries to get people to and from the airport. Construction costs have been estimated at $23 million for such things upgrading terminals and creating waiting areas for ferry passengers.
From there, officials would monitor traffic and decide if additional ferry service and terminals are warranted as another project, department spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said Friday.
The selected alternative makes the most sense in terms of construction costs and traffic demands, he said.
Officials settled on a bridge alternative in 2004. But the project was derisively labeled by critics, such as Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, as a “bridge to nowhere.” In 2007, the department said it was directed by then-Gov. Sarah Palin to find the most fiscally responsible alternative for access.
Improving access between Ketchikan and its airport on nearby Gravina Island has long been an issue; without a so-called hard link, like a bridge, public access is available by ferry.
Asked if a bridge remained a feasible option, Lew Williams III, mayor of the city of Ketchikan, said he thinks “the financial times have made that decision for us. Everybody knows we don’t have the money to build a bridge or maintain it or anything like that.”
While many in the community still would love to see a bridge, Williams said he doesn’t see it happening for a long time, “unless we get some new management back in D.C.”
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough has offered some suggestions for making the selected alternative better, he said. The airport is operated by the borough. A message was left Friday for the borough manager.
Woodrow said the state still must finalize the environmental review process.