Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Federal Transportation Bill

Transport Bill Earmark to Help Road Project in Palin’s Hometown

Sarah Palin is no longer the governor of Alaska, but a project long
championed by the 2008 vice-presidential nominee -- and staunch earmark
critic -- stands to benefit from an earmark inserted into the transportation spending bill that cleared Congress over the weekend.

625_araup_11.1235152104.standalone.prod_affiliate.7.jpgSarah Palin, then Alaska governor, with husband Todd at the Wasilla, AK, airport. (Photo: ADN.com)

Among the bill's $4 billion-plus in earmarks was $500,000 for an apron expansion at the airport in Wasilla, the Alaska town that Palin led
for six years and still calls home. The earmark, requested by Rep. Don
Young (R-AK), is one of 75 that lawmakers directed to airport
construction projects.

The airport was a mayoral priority for Palin, who won federal money to help pave its runway in 1999. But Alaska budget documents [PDF]
describe the Wasilla apron expansion as a necessary piece of the puzzle
to help the town build a new road connecting the airport with an
elaborate sports complex that Palin made a personal goal, sparking a property dispute that lingered even after her resignation in July.

The
new airport road "is waiting for the construction of the aprons over
the next three years before the road can be completed due to large
excavations," according to the state budget plan. When built, the road
is projected to cut the travel distance from downtown Wasilla by just 3
miles.

To put the Alaska earmark in perspective, cash-strapped streetcar planners in Charlotte, NC, also got $500,000 in the 2010 transportation spending bill, as did Fort Lauderdale's downtown circulator buses.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Advocates Push Metro and L.A. City for a More Multimodal Vermont Avenue; HLA Compliance Challenged

Metro's too-modest Vermont Avenue bus plans don't appear to comply with Measure HLA Mobility Plan requirements. It's one of at least a half-dozen Metro projects that appear to clash with HLA/MP2035.

October 4, 2024

L.A. City New Bikeway Mileage Fell to Five Year Low in Fiscal Year 23-24

Streetsblog's annual round-up of the good, the bad, and all the meh in between - for the city's underwhelming 22.5 lane-miles of new and improved bike facilities

October 2, 2024

Duarte Renews E-Bus Contract with Foothill Transit

City staff is satisfied with the service, which provides 25,000 rides a year

October 2, 2024
See all posts