Remember the $400 million plan from 2005 that was deemed the "Bridge to Nowhere" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge) in Alaska? Well, it appears a smaller cousin of that plan has recently emerged.
This time, instead of $400 million being proposed for a handful of people, at least it is only roughly $77 million (the main costs being $64 million for a 4,500 foot-long runway and $11-13 million for a... HOVERCRAFT!- that has never produced any results in the past except for being a guaranteed funding drain). Why is a hovercraft part of this plan? Because the proposed runway isn't even on the same island as the residents it would benefit- it would be situated on a nearby island (though helicopters or a road connecting the two islands are also being considered if the plan gets the go-ahead).
The location of this new project would benefit Akutan, a remote island village in the Aleutian chain, with a year-round population of, oh, 100 people (but don't worry, that number increases ten-fold in the summer to about 1,000 when Trident Seafoods processing plant, the largest such plant in North America, is in operation (they are also in line to contribute $1 million to the plan).
Of the $64 million for the runway, $59 million would come from federal funds and $5 million from state funding.
According to CNN and Peninsula Vice President Brian Carricaburu, "air service to Akutan is now provided by World War II-era amphibious aircraft operated by Peninsula Airways. Those are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain."
Carricaburu also says, "the runway could cut the government's costs in one way. Peninsula Airways routes to Akutan are now subsidized by about $700,000 annually under the federal Essential Air Service program. Using bigger, more efficient aircraft could bring that cost down."
For more from CNN: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/28/a-64-million-runway-for-no-one-in-alaska/
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