The so-called "Bridge to Nowhere" is the name given to a proposed federally-funded $400 million bridge project connecting the small town of Ketchican, Alaska (population 8,000), with the town's airport, which is situated on the island of Gravina and currently accessible by ferry.Heritage Foundation: The Bridge to Nowhere: A National Embarrassment (2005) Widely disparaged as a pork barrel project, the Bridge to Nowhere was abandoned in September 2007.CNN: 'Bridge to Nowhere' abandoned (2007)
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Fast Facts
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Also known as the Gravina Bridge Project
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Included a 200-foot high bridge and 120-foot high bridge crossingSitNews: 2007 Year in Review (January 3, 2008)
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Championed by Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens and Representative Don YoungCNN: [http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/22/alaska.bridge.ap/ 'Bridge to Nowhere'
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Abandoned (2007)
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Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate, directed that the project be abandoned, asking that funding be redirected towards road construction and an upgrade of the ferryCNN: 'Bridge to Nowhere' abandoned (2007)
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John McCain denounced the Gravina bridge project in a presidential campaign ad from November 2007Fact Check.org: 'Outrageous' Exaggerations (2007)
