An interior Alaska community with just 46 residents is in line for a new $21 million airport.
The state received a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build the airport at Takotna 17 miles west of McGrath and 300 miles west of Fairbanks.
The amount spent is not really an option under Federal Aviation Administration rules, said Roger Maggard, the state Department of Transportation’s airport development manager.
“The fact of it is, in order to meet all the dimensional requirements that the FAA requires for funding an airport, they do become quite expensive,” Maggard said. “It doesn’t matter in terms of airport costs whether it’s 50 people or 250 people or 500 people. It still requires the same airport facility.”
The Takotna grant was part of more than $70 million worth of grants and contracts awarded last week to Alaska communities by the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to a press release from the congressional delegation.
[More]
Why is this news? Do you think an American citizen would give a rat’s behind if Canada were building an airport in a small town?
Eskimo, an even more important question is why is this an issue?
The town is isolated for the most part.
It needs an airport.
The airport needs to be constructed so that planes can land and take off safely.
End of discussion.
Actually, this is news because there is something going on behind the scenes. Perhaps a huge gold strike. I don’t know but it will be interesting to watch.
I say that because I remember as a teenager when a massive copper strike was made in Manitouwadge, Ont.
I never saw a new rail line go in so fast. This may be the same thing.
Seems to recall something like this happening before. Now who was it in charge …
I know — the bridge to nowhere. My very first thought but I think if you bother to look that Sarah tried to kill that bridge. She was outvoted.
I don’t know how she feels about this situation but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she vetoed it unless of course there is more going on here than the world knows.
Jack, I seem to recall that the Governor did indeed kill the “bridge to nowhere”.
So kiss goodbye to that airport unless she knows something the rest of us don’t.
I’m pretty sure this is what Cynapse must be hinting at…..yeah right.
An airport for somebody’
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/05/26/an-airport-for-somebody
No, I think you can look closer to home. Think about candidates with hopelessly naive cult followings who think said candidate will turn American on its ear and back to spaghetti western prosperity.
Cynapse – wasnt it PeeAir Truedoe who built his very expensive airport to no where – Maribell or something like that which has since been closed to passenger traffic?
Don’t know who built it, but Mirabel isn’t in a great location for travelers. It is now cargo-only.