We, in Alaska, realize Alaska is unique. A great number of our towns and villages, to include our state capital of Juneau, and the city of Ketchikan do not have road access to other parts of the state or the outside. For the rest of us one road, the Alaska Highway, leads south through Canada and finally to the rest of our nation. While cities towns and communities in the lower 48 have built and restructured their infrastructure over a period of decades, we in Alaska are in the midst of forging a foundation to meet the needs of our citizens.
Ketchikan, our 5th largest city with a population of under 8000 citizens, sits within the Gateway Borough along with Ward Cove and Saxman, bringing total Borough population to approximately 15000. Ketchikan proper is a mere 4.1 Square miles and has the most heavily concentrated population of any city within our state. Tourism and Fishing are the mainstays. Of necessity the Ketchikan airport was built on Gravina Island with population of approximately 50, but land mass encompassing 20 miles long and 9.5 miles wide which provides means of growth. Travel to and from Gravina is
by ferry.
Over a period of many years government and citizens have requested better access to the island and to their airport. Promises were made but never kept. In 2005 Senator Stevens did provide earmark to provide a bridge from Ketchikan to the island. The price tag was high, but Alaskans understand that costs of any type of construction within our state likely sounds extreme to citizens of the lower 48.
Ketchikan and it's bridge have been made sport for late night TV comedy routines, and ridiculed by news commentators nationwide. That might be bad enough, but today our own Governor instills in the American people the same scoffing attitude in regard to the ‘Bridge to Nowhere' in the name of political expediency. Those who scornfully call it the bridge to nowhere, forget the many billions of federal dollars that have built the super highways of the lower 48 that provides speedier an easier access to cities and towns of insignificant population in which they live.
There is no jest or mocking of Indiana and its Governor who have gifted a 75 year lease of a partially federally funded toll road to foreign enterprise. Yes, for 75 years this enterprise will take the receipts from all tolls and facilities along that road back home to another country. Talk about pork barrel! And that to a foreign enterprise!