Setting the Record Straight: Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:25:27 +0000

Sarah Palin has been the talk of the nation. As each new story is revealed, citizens wonder if John McCain really did his homework in chosing this vice presidential candidate. From teen pregnancy to a legislative ethics investigation, over 45 problems in just 35 hours have erupted with the presumptive Republican VP choice. From forcing her daughter to have a hypothetical rapist’s child to not supporting McCain in the primaries, Palin may soon be the biggest embarrassment to the Republican Party since George W. Bush. As of last week, you may have never heard of Sarah Palin if you lived in the lower 48; however, you’ve probably heard of Alaska’s infamous “Bridge to Nowhere”.

The “Bridge to Nowhere“, aka the Gravina Island Bridge, was advocated by Ted Stevens, who was indicted on federal corruption charges. Palin jumped on the bandwagon in supporting the $398 million project as part of her 2006 campaign for governor. The bridge would have been as long as the Golden Gate Bridge, and it would have replaced a ferry currently used to transport the island’s 50 residents, as well as tourists, to an international airport. In 2006 when asked about the bridge, Palin stated:

I do support the infrastructure projects that are on tap here in the State of Alaska that our Congressional delegations worked hard for…I would like to see Alaska’s infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now — while our Congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.
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Ode to a Road

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:06:00 +0000

What to do when you have spent five years trying to stop a massive federal road project to no avail? Take a walk and say good bye to the gentle one lane curves, old growth forest, and northern spotted owl (NSO) habitat. That’s what members of my community did in semblance of a Maori custom to remember and honor the passing of an important place. As Hyampom, CA resident Marilyn Renaker described the event:

We are taking this opportunity to honor the beauty of the road, and also to honor the people who first built it. These days, the past is often bulldozed away without a second thought. We go on with what is newer, bigger, supposedly better. This road was the work of many people over many winters. With mules and horses laden with equipment, they made a path into a road. They had to blast and clean debris and when they finished in 1923, an era ended. Cars entered Hyampom for the first time and the Land of Trails disappeared. Many of us will miss this old road, just as we miss the hardiness of the people who built it. We will miss it’s beauty, it’s familiar twists and turns. We will miss how it made Hyampom seem special–a hard place to get to, but worth it for the wise.

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Setting the Record Straight: Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

Ode to a Road