Money Should Help Gulf Coast Instead of Paying for "Bridges to Nowhere"
As America's Gulf Coast struggles to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many of us are asking: “How else can I help?” Congress recently passed a $286 billion Transportation Bill, $24 billion of which was set aside for special projects requested by members of congress or “earmarks.” In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it is clear that Congress must now reprioritize its spending. Urge your congressional delegation to spend transportation dollars on rebuilding the Gulf Coast, instead of Alaska's "bridges to nowhere." Visit www.americagivesback.org to find out how you can make a difference on this issue.
Highway Bill a Bad Deal for Alaska, American Taxpayers
Americans deserve to have our nation’s growing transportation needs and federal highway system funded by a responsible federal transportation bill – one that does not unfairly burden the taxpayer. But right now Congress is considering a bill that is far too large for the nation to swallow – jam-packed with last minute earmarks amounting to a massive pay-off for a list of costly, wasteful and environmentally-damaging projects.
If the House transportation bill, H.R. 3, is enacted into law, it will mean a mind-blowing cost of $1,151 per Alaskan for transportation spending. Under the same bill, the average American would get just $44 in transportation spending. In total, Alaskans get back about $7 for every $1 they pay into the gas tax. So what’s all this money being spent on? Controversial and unnecessary roads and bridges to nowhere. Here are a few examples of earmarks in H.R. 3:
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Photo of the Gravina Airport Shuttle Ferry, meeting one of the six daily planes that service the city of Ketchikan, pop. 8,000:
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THE GRAVINA BRIDGE: $223 MILLION Construction of the Gravina Bridge would link the city of Ketchikan on Revilla Island and the city’s airport on Gravina Island. Already a recipient of a “Golden Fleece” award from Taxpayers for Common Sense, the Gravina Island Bridge will have impacts on taxpayers’ wallets and the wild road-free watersheds of the Tongass National Forest. The bridge, which would be nearly as long as the Golden Gate Bridge, and higher than the Brooklyn Bridge, would replace a 7-minute ferry ride to the local airport. In the past year alone, cost estimates for the project have risen another 37% to $315 million and Alaskans are expecting US taxpayers to foot the bill.
KNIK ARM BRIDGE: $200 MILLION Construction of the Knik Arm Bridge would connect the city of Anchorage to hundreds of square miles of unpopulated wetlands. The project would also impact feeding grounds for the rare Cook Inlet Beluga Whale, a species of special concern. Preliminary cost estimates for the over 2-mile-long crossing are upwards of $1.5 billion. Even the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce has raised serious questions about the project.
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Photo: an avalanche along the proposed Juneau Access Road
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JUNEAU ACCESS ROAD: $15 This brand new 68-mile, $281-million road would compromise the integrity of Berners Bay – an area of incredible ecological significance in the heart of the Tongass National Forest dedicated by Congress to “remain roadless and wild in character” and Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. Residents of all three of the affected communities: Juneau, Haines and Skagway, are currently on record as opposing the road and instead support improvements to the Alaska Marine Highway System, a designated National Scenic Byway. BRADFIELD CANAL ROAD: $7 MILLION The road would cross some of the worlds challenging terrain, connecting Southeast Alaska with a remote corner of British Columbia, but our Canadian neighbors aren’t fans of the project. Already five BC communities have officially opposed the proposed road for fear that it would funnel resources out of Canada. The benefits of the proposed road to the US are questionable at best. The $7 million earmark would buy yet another study on the road, despite the fact that the Alaska Department of Transportation has already found that, “[W]e have no compelling reasons to spend more public money on more detailed corridor studies.The project won't work.”
For more information contact the Alaska Transportation Priorities Project, (907) 209-0082, emily@aktransportation.org
