A House-Senate conference committee working on the $286-billion highway bill decided to cut the earmarks for a pair of bridges in Alaska, one of which was dubbed the “Bridge to Nowhere” because it would have connected Ketchikan to an almost-unpopulated island.
The removal was a sham, however. The $454 million earmarked for the bridges will remain in the bill, will go to Alaska, and can still used for the bridges. Another downside: Sen. Ted Stevens (R.-Alaska), who threatened to resign from the Senate if it approved an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R.-Okla.) that would have sent the money to Louisiana to pay for post-Katrina repairs to I-10, is not threatening to resign now.
