CNN Palin's $25 million gravel "Road To Nowhere" CNN promises more extensive coverage to come today!

[1776Forever]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/22/cnn-exposes-palins-road-t_n_128462.html

Video report on site also!

Now that Sarah Palin and the McCain campaign have finally decided to stop telling the "Bridge To Nowhere" lie, Alaska's "Road To Nowhere" -- built while Sarah Palin was governor -- may become an issue, as CNN's Campbell Brown and Abbie Boudreau report.

The "Road To Nowhere" is a 3 mile long stretch of road leading to where the bridge would have been had Congress not killed funding for it in 2005. The price tag for the road? $26 million dollars. And nobody uses it.

................

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/09/20/road.to.nowhere.ap/

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Alaska may not have a "Bridge to Nowhere," but it now has a "Road to Nowhere."

This week, the state completed a $25 million gravel road that was intended to lead up to the bridge linking the city of Ketchikan to its airport on a neighboring island.

The bridge project became the symbol of federal largess, and Congress eventually dropped the earmark for the bridge.

The state still received the money, but last fall, Gov. Sarah Palin killed the project, valued at nearly $400 million.

Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein said the 3.2-mile road now is ideal for road races and hunting and possibly some commercial development. But with no bridge to serve it, that's probably about it.

The bridge has also become a focal point in the presidential race with Palin, now GOP presidential nominee John McCain's running mate, repeatedly telling crowds that she told Congress "thanks but no thanks" for that Bridge to Nowhere.

The state is considering cheaper designs for a bridge. State lawmakers made a brief attempt at securing funding for a bridge during this year's legislative session.

The two-bridge project would have connected the town's airport on Gravina Island to Revillagigedo Island, where most of the 13,000 residents of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough live.

The airport is separated from its users by a quarter-mile-wide channel of water, forcing travelers to catch either a ferry or a water taxi.

..........

More lies - More Bush tactics - More of the same shame!

"No way, no how, no McCain"

[AndyA]

1. GASP! I'M SHOCKED!! SHOCKED I TELL YOU!!!

Does this mean that Sarah Palin didn't really say, "Thanks, but no thanks...on that money for the bridge to nowhere..." ?!?!?!?!

Why, she wouldn't lie, would she? :shrug:

:eyes:

[roguevalley]

13. follow the money. I believe our delegation and others have land

they wanted developed at the other end.

[KansDem]

2. "CNN Palin's $25 million gravel "Road To Nowhere" "

Gravel? You mean this pork-barrel project was going to cost $25 million and be constructed of "gravel?" No asphalt? And this from the "oil state?"

Was she going to use gold-plated gravel?

[1776Forever]

3. That is somthing SNL should pick up on! $25 Mil for a GRAVEL road people! Right on!

Great catch!
:hi:

[Crowman1979]

4. Why did she have to ruin a great Ozzy song?

[1776Forever]

6. Ha! Forgot that one - I agree!

:headbang:

[peace13]

5. Blackest, smoothest gravel I have ever seen! n/t

[1776Forever]

7. Yeah - I saw that video and wondered why they called it gravel too - but the report from AP says it

They could have it wrong - but it is really interesting that they pointed that out - ???

[mshasta]

8. kick!!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[DeschutesRiver]

9. We have built gravel roads

longest was a couple of miles. How on earth could it cost 25 million to build? I mean really, how? Granted one road we built was over 20 years ago, but it was a little over 2 miles and cost $8,000.

So this is built to public standards, how could it cost more than 250k? Which is bad enough, but let's just say it was that much. Or double it because .gov workers work slower and charge more (well, they would be using AK regular road dudes that bid on the contract as independents). AND let's say because it is AK, there are freeze/thaw concerns (would be with asphalt, not sure there would be any issue with a plain jane gravel road). So double again - 1 million?

This isn't just about the waste of building a road with your dollars and mine sent to AK. This is about overspending for that road - and worse, having no conditions on it at that price tag, ie no, you can't use 25 million of taxpayer funds to build a road for f'g hunting and road races. Only if a major link like the bridge to nowhere is ever built, can you then build the road.

You know - spend the money for a real purpose? This just snots me off big time.

[RichGirl]

10. This is what needs to be sent to people on the fence.

It is the most direct and clear lie ever.

And, proves that she and McCain lied regarding earmarks.

[DeschutesRiver]

11. We have built gravel roads

longest was a couple of miles. How on earth could it cost 25 million to build? I mean really, how? Granted one road we built was over 20 years ago, but it was a little over 2 miles and cost $8,000. We've built longer ones, slightly higher prices (built to county standards for heavy use).

So this is built to public standards, how could it cost more than 250k? Which is bad enough, but let's just say it was that much. Or double it because .gov workers work slower and charge more (well, they would be using AK regular road dudes that bid on the contract as independents). AND let's say because it is AK, there are freeze/thaw concerns (would be with asphalt, not sure there would be any issue with a plain jane gravel road). So double again - 1 million?

This isn't just about the waste of building a road with your dollars and mine sent to AK. This is about overspending for that road - and worse, having no conditions on it at that price tag, ie no, you can't use 25 million of taxpayer funds to build a road for f'g hunting and road races. Only if a major link like the bridge to nowhere is ever built, can you then build the road.

You know - spend the money for a real purpose? This just snots me off big time.

And I was more cheesed off watching Olbermann last night - McCain has too gotten earmarks, short gnarly liar. He packs them into other bills he sponsers, like a bill he co-sponsered that had an earmark in it for 2 million to build the William H. Reinquest law center at the University of Arizona. Another bill snuck in earmarks for a trail to be built in AZ. And in another instance, he had requested federal funds directly for some water? sewage? program, was denied, so attached something to yet another bill which specifically told the EPA (??) to "earmark" that same amount out of the total to be used for the plant. I am going from memory, so don't have it all right, but it is close.

Keith had around $70 million in earmarks, and that is just what they have found so far (these are buried within other money requests/bills).

[MindMatter]

12. That is $500,000 per resident of Gavina Island

And the road doesn't do anything for them anyway.