Runnin’ the Road to Nowhere
5 10 2009
[clip from September, 2008]
Everyone knows about the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.” Former Senator Ted Stevens, and current Congressman Don Young were the bridge’s main advocates in Washington D.C. The project would have connected the City of Ketchikan (population 8000) to Gravina Island, location of the city’s airport and home to 50 people.
In 2006, after State Senate Presiddent Ben Stevens (son of Senator Ted Stevens) made reference to residents of the Mat-Su Valley as “Valley Trash,” Sarah Palin traveled to Ketchikan saying, “”OK, you’ve got Valley trash standing here in the middle of ‘Nowhere.’ I think we’re going to make a good team as we progress that bridge project.”
Then in 2008, VP nominee Sarah Palin came out in her very first speech to the nation and claimed to have said “Thanks, but no thanks” to the project. Alaskans scratched their heads, knowing in reality Palin supported the $398 million bridge project, until it became obvious that it would cost the state too much money. But, instead of returning the federal money, Palin kept all $223 million.
After the bridge was killed, plans for the road on Gravina Island that would connect to the now-defunct bridge somehow proceeded, to the tune of $26 million. The result? A spectacular, beautiful $26 million 3.2 mile paved road ending in a large cul-de-sac that goes nowhere and isn’t used for anything.
Until now.
A group of local runners is in the planning stages of a “Road to Nowhere Run” next weekend. The length of the run will be up to the individual participants. In other words, they can quit whenever they want.
Hats off to the intrepid runners of Ketchikan. Let it never be said that that $26 million went to waste!
October 5th, 2009 at 2:49 PM
will sarah palin be running with the local group and she already knows how to quit. No she will say yes, then quit at the last minute.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Sarah has been on the Road to Nowhere for some time.
October 5th, 2009 at 3:16 PM
AKM– Did this piece run recently on CNN? There’s no time context for Meg’s remarks. Her answer has shades of the Couric interview answer:” I’lllll check it out and get back to’ ya.”
Even though we’ve seen it a million times, Sarah’s ability to turn simple, minding their own business nouns (”progress) into dumbfounding, head scratching verbs (”as we progress that bridge project”) continue to amaze.
Sorry… this clip is from early on in the 2008 campaign. My memory tells me some time in September 2008. I just put it there for some historical background. AKM
October 5th, 2009 at 3:19 PM
AKM & David Byrne – I haz a happy!
October 5th, 2009 at 3:21 PM
I thought that Road to Nowhere terminated not at all that far beyond a certain someone’s place of business…?
October 5th, 2009 at 3:25 PM
Kind of hard to say about the video because it references Kritina and how President Obama and VP Biden wanted that money to go to help the victims of Kritina.Sounds like it was around the time of Kritina
October 5th, 2009 at 3:47 PM
…the length of the run will be up to the individual participants. In other words, they can quit whenever they want.
—
Too funny!!!
October 5th, 2009 at 3:57 PM
he he….those Ketchikan folks have a great sense of humor. Lol! Thanks for the David Byrne vid…he has mellowed out a bit in the last few years. Love him!!
October 5th, 2009 at 3:58 PM
They should have a 5K, 10K, and a PalinK—that is: run, then quit whenever you want–blame others.
October 5th, 2009 at 4:20 PM
Ha, had to laugh at Stapletongue, “I’ll get back to you.” But at least she did get back to cnn, as opposed to Palin during Couric’s interview.
What, Gov Palin could not have that 26 mil moved to other highway projects> Huh? What? Gov has not authority? Wassup wid dat?
October 5th, 2009 at 4:44 PM
Just watched the clip, interesting that stapletongue said money was already earmarked for the bridge before stupid took office. I guess they think that is a valid excuse for her even thou she lied about it. However, Obama and Biden were trying to kill the bill and divert the money where it was really needed.
I can’t stomach SP and her cronies. I wish they would just all fade away into the sunset never to surface again in the media. I absolutely abhor her and her dirty, tricky, smeary politics.
They used to call Nixon tricky dick we should call her Slimey Sarah.
October 5th, 2009 at 5:06 PM
I had a good laugh over this article:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/the-palin-wars-part-lxii.html?wprss=thefix
October 5th, 2009 at 6:11 PM
And the rest of the $$$$$ ? 200 million?
What happened to that? Anyone know?
October 5th, 2009 at 6:16 PM
you should have used the picture of her in the valley trash tshirt
its one of my favorites
October 5th, 2009 at 6:20 PM
With over 6 miles round trip, the residence of Ketchikan should be in good shape. If I had a nice, beautiful, $26 million dollar road, i’d be out there everyday running, ptarmigan shooting, rabbit watching… etc..
October 5th, 2009 at 6:25 PM
@ Mae #13: Excellent question.
October 5th, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Love it. *snicker*
October 5th, 2009 at 6:27 PM
Would you think at over $5200. per road foot, the road would of come with a white line included ?
October 5th, 2009 at 6:37 PM
Loved the song, it wasn’t worth the money spent on the bridge to nowhere.
October 5th, 2009 at 6:38 PM
Since I just did the Flutie 5K to benefit autism, as soon as I saw that the road was 3.2 miles I thought “well, what a perfect place for a run.”
October 5th, 2009 at 6:43 PM
Mae, I’m wondering the same thing, what did happen to the 200 million. Just when did that house of quittypant’s get built?
October 5th, 2009 at 6:47 PM
I think in place of a white line, there should be little WHITE ELEPHANTS painted trunk to tail all 3.2 miles of the road for the center line.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:03 PM
LMAO!! I love the part where you can quit the run whenever you want to!
October 5th, 2009 at 7:07 PM
It’s really too bad that money wasn’t returned—that money could have been used to replace the I-35 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota…many people would be alive today that died in that bridge collapse.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Hummm..
Methinks the good folks of ketchican should host a annual Graffiti Road to NoWhere party!
Chalk is biodegradable ya know.
Palin’s Road To NoWhere Grafittifest…!
(excuse my spelling, I had repub teachers in rural Ak.. snicker, snicker)
October 5th, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Mae, you are killing me! LMAO! Love it.
October 5th, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Thank you for reminding us of why we must remain vigilant. Idiots who don’t trust the ‘government’ and who incite gullible (and/or crooked cohorts) are IMO part of our untrustworthy elected government officials. They know how crooked they are and how like-minded their lying liar buddies are who side with greed and destruction.
‘Idiocracy’ (the movie) is comical but not funny simply because we’re moving toward it in real time.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:03 AM
zyggy – A quick refresher on the difference in those two earmarks for the bridge and the connecting road. After Congress approved the earmark for the bridge, the money was subsequently released from the earmark (by Congress), meaning that the money was still appropriated but it no longer was earmarked for the bridge project. That’s why Palin was able to keep that money and put it into the general fund to be spent wherever. The funds for the connecting road remained earmarked for that specific project, and had to either be spent to build the road or returned to the evil Feds. Since Palin could not benefit Alaska in any other way by stopping the road project, either she’s never been a fiscal conservative as she claims, or she had other motives for allowing the project to proceed.
I expect that to understand the road project, you’d need to research who owns land on Gravina Island and cross-ref those names against Republican voter registrations and Palin campaign contributors. That done, a clear picture may emerge to reveal why that road was never stopped. The explanation given by Megamouth sure doesn’t. Contract Law developed in the real world, and in the real world conditions change. It is not unusual for contracted work to be canceled – such as when funding or the need for the work disappears. If the State had canceled the project, it would have owed some small reimbursement for costs already incurred by the successful bidder, and the balance could have been returned to the Treasury. So what would an honest, responsible fiscal conservative have done?
October 6th, 2009 at 8:16 AM
Wow – what an editing mess …
Since Palin could not benefit Alaska in any other way by stopping the road project, either she’s never been a fiscal conservative as she claims, or she had other motives for allowing the project to proceed.
Should read …
Palin could not benefit Alaska in any other way by stopping the road project. So she’s either never been a fiscal conservative as she claims, and the waste of $26M in Federal money wasn’t enough to even draw her attention, or she had other motives for allowing the project to proceed.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:52 PM
“A group of local runners is in the planning stages of a “Road to Nowhere Run” next weekend. The length of the run will be up to the individual participants. In other words, they can quit whenever they want.”
Gorgeous. Who says runners are just scrawny pain worshipers.
If I still ran and could afford the faire I would come do the run. Just to be able to say that I had done it and wear the T-shirt. Runners love wacky Ts.
If its a great Tshirt get us a pic.
Please.
I bet Sarah has forgotten all about her boondoggle. What a lovely way to remind her that it’s still following her around.
Sarah has so many albatroses around her neck they could probably get her airborne.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:35 PM
#5, what place of business? I didn’t think there was much on Gravina. I believe the Murkowski’s have property out there. Does anyone know about that or is it just another rumor.
October 6th, 2009 at 3:46 PM
The left over $200 million could of clothed and fed alot of cold souls in, Alaska. I don’t think it was tax deductible; especially, if you didn’t use it for its intended purpose..