Alaskan town home to airport with no planes and harbor with no road

Yahoo News ^ | 11/12/12 | Eric Pfeiffer

[Baynative]

Remember Alaska's infamous bridge to nowhere? Well, another town in "Seward's Icebox" has upped the ante after building an unused $75.5 million airport and a $29 million harbor with no roads connecting to the town.

[Baynative]

And along with the missing road, the harbor is also currently lacking electricity, running water, and, well, boats. The hope is that along with possessing "strategic importance," the harbor will be used by Trident Seafoods, the largest seafood processor in the Aleutians.

The inactive harbor now shares Akutan territory with the nearby airport. Residents are required to stake a six-mile hovercraft ride to reach the airstrip, which is located on a nearby island. However, there are no airlines currently serving the airport.

The stimulus money used for this project was made up for with some of the $719 BILLION cut from Medicare. Apparently, team Obama thinks shovel ready jobs like this can help make America's seniors shovel ready a little sooner so they wont be a burden to the growing class of government dependents.

[Utmost Certainty]

More malinvestment from central planning.

[GeronL]

More wasted tax dollars.

Pure insanity.

[dfwgator]

How nice for us to offer a place for the Russkies to land their planes when they come to reclaim Alaska.

[Ken522]

Nice turning basin - great for larger ships!

[GeronL]

If Trident Seafoods needed an airport, then let them pay for it. Doesn’t even sound like they needed it.

[SevenofNine]

Hey is that Dutch Harbor famous studio for Deadliest Catch

[WellyP]

“Harbor of Refuge” If that harbor saves one crabber or fishing boat from going down then it’s worth every Dollar spent on it.

[Eska]

We live at the end of the Taylor, 200 miles up a dirt road that is open in the summer; 15 foot of snow on road over the summit right now. Actually, we like the road being closed. Keeps the urban hordes out and life is good. Unorganized borough, no Taxes, no law enforcement, no regulations or permits, no prop taxes, no crime and everybody is armed to the teeth and hasn't been a murder in 30 years, no locks on doors or keys outta any vehicles, and everybody thinks they run the show and everybody else tells them to put it where the sun don't shine; including me. Couldn't imagine having your lifestyle either.

Now if we can run the park service out, it will be a regular shan gri la.

[cookcounty]

Oh that Sarah Palin!

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Ah ha! Now we know why Stonehenge was built.

[fudimo]

I found this on wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akutan,_Alaska

Boats and amphibious aircraft, or helicopter are the only means of transportation into and out of Akutan. A 200-foot (61 m) dock and a small boat mooring basin are available. Plans are underway to develop a large boat harbor; construction will begin in 2004. The State Ferry operates from Kodiak bi-monthly between May and October. Cargo is delivered weekly by freighter from Seattle; the City owns and operates a landing craft, the M/V Akutan. Akutan has no airstrip due to the steep terrain, however, a seaplane base is available and open to the public. Daily air service is provided from nearby Unalaska. High waves may limit accessibility during winter months.

An airport for Trident is currently under construction on Akun Island, about 6 miles away, and is scheduled to be completed late 2012. This work is being promoted by the local residents, who think it will benefit the community and business. The airport is expected to cost $77 million of which nearly $60 million comes from the U.S. federal government. Trident is paying $1 million towards the cost of the airport.[5]

[classified]

Is this Republican pork?

[Baynative]

It’s government pork and until it stops none of the crap they are selling matters. The beltway republicans
are just as bad as the beltway democrats. One bus is going 60 and the other is going 40, but they’re both heading for the cliff and neither has any intention of stopping.

[napscoordinator]

Alaska is the biggest welfare state in the United States. This should be no surprise to anyone.