Another Alaskan Boondoggle Bridge

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_11-11-2007/Intelligence_Report#yourmoney

In September, as reported in this column, Alaskan officials abandoned all efforts to build the $300 million Bridge to Nowhere, which would have connected the town of Ketchikan to tiny Gravina Island. But in that same Congressional bill, a separate $231 million was included for a brand-new Knik Arm Bridge to link Point MacKenzie (population: 232) and the city of Anchorage. Alaskan officials are going ahead with plans for construction, even though the price tag has risen to at least $600 million. Critics argue that it won’t ease traffic congestion, as it’s intended to do, and that Alaska needs to fix all of its existing roads and bridges first. But right now, this brother of the Bridge to Nowhere is still very much a reality.