HWY130 FY2017 TIGER Grant Application Not Selected

[Aaron S]

I checked the FHWA TIGER grant website, and noticed HWY130 TIGER application was not among the projects selected.

http://punaweb.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=24018&whichpage=1

https://www.transportation.gov/tiger-201...act-sheets

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Thanks for the update Aaron.
Puna was passed over so a hunting camp in Alaska will be able to place synthetic mats over ATV trails. At a cost of $10 million.
I couldn't bring myself to look at any other winning recipients after that..

If you want to combine the dual pleasures of insanity and social acceptance, religion is your only choice. - Last Aphorisms

[terracore]

While I don't know much this particular project, much of Alaska is still only accessible by dog sleds and snow machines (sometimes called snowmobiles). When the snow melts, it's ATVs. They may have got a 10 million dollar ATV trail because building a real road would have been 10x that amount (or more).

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

building a real road would have been 10x that amount (or more).

Yes, that may be true. It also would have cost a substantial amount of money to build Alaska's bridge to nowhere, from Ketchikan to an airport used by a handful of people every day. They already had a perfectly good, functional ferry, and didn't need to spend the money.

The main point isn't cost, it's that Puna has one road for a growing population, a population that's already substantially larger than the hunting camp in Alaska. Puna needs Highway 130 to function as optimally as possible at all times, 24/7. We don't have an alternative trail to run our ATV (or off-road it) when there's an accident on our only road in and only road out.

As Spock (former resident of our sister District, Planet Vulcan) said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

If you want to combine the dual pleasures of insanity and social acceptance, religion is your only choice. - Last Aphorisms

[terracore]

I wouldn't define 100,000 passenger enplanements (and dis-planements) per year as "used by a handful of people each day". Not to mention all their air cargo has to go on the same ferry, as do the people who need to wait for a boat schedule to get onto an air ambulance for life-saving medical care.

Having done the ferry trip from Ketchikan to the airport on Gravina Island and back dozens of times in my life, it would hardly have been a "bridge to nowhere" (Thanks for that, Sarah Palin).

The only other way out is a 770 nautical mile boat ride to Seattle. Comparing that to highway 130 is a bit of an apples/oranges comparison.

And there is no indoor waiting area for that ferry. That's a treat in the Alaska winter!

The worst part, is Ketchikan spent $30 million of local taxpayer dollars to build the roads to a bridge that was never made (was a requirement before the feds would release funding) before Palin decided to bastardize it into an election issue. (Those are now, officially, the roads to nowhere).

Reminds me of those bumper stickers:

Vote McCain / Palin 2008
Get her out of Alaska

ETA: Where do you get that the ATV trail would only be used for a "hunting camp" ? There isn't much hunting there.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

100,000 passenger enplanements per year

100,000 per year, is 300 passengers per day.
The ferry ride is 7 minutes.
The bridge was projected to cost $400 million dollars.

The daily traffic on Highway 130 is 27,000 cars.
Far higher than the population of Ketchikan, or a remote hunting camp in western Alaska.


Edited to add:
Cost Comparison Analysis

If we were to apply the same cost basis for the daily per person use of the (approved but not built) Ketchikan bridge (300 vehicles) with Puna's Highway 130 (27,000 vehicles):

300/$400 Million = 27,000/x
x would equal about $36 trillion dollars. The federal budget for the entire United States in 2017 was $4.2 trillion.
We could have some ssswwweeeeeettt Puna roadways for $36 trillion.

[terracore]

"The bridge was projected to cost $400 million dollars."

And running a ferry back and forth is free?

"The ferry ride is 7 minutes."

Like I said before, I've done it dozens of times. Nothing takes 7 minutes.

"100,000 per year, is 300 passengers per day"

Good to know that a "handful" is defined as 300.

"The daily traffic on Highway 130 is 27,000 cars"

Are they trying to get to Seattle?

"or a remote hunting camp in western Alaska"

Still no idea what you mean by this.

[Kapoho Joe]

Boys, boys! Who cares who got the money, let's go back to complaining about Puna not getting any!

[terracore]

Why would we leave it at that when we can complain that if Puna DID get the money, it would be mismanaged somehow?!

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

if Puna DID get the money, it would be mismanaged somehow?!

Ding! Ding! Ding!
We have a winner!

If you want to combine the dual pleasures of insanity and social acceptance, religion is your only choice. - Last Aphorisms