Viewpoints
A Bridge to Possibilities
By Patrick Branco
February 13, 2006
Monday
A lot of talk is being bantered today about the "bridge
to nowhere" in Ketchikan, Alaska. To fully understand this
issue, it is critical to have a point of reference. In 1928,
the people of a busy little city began to complain about their
feelings of being isolated. The only access to the town was
by boat, or plane, or a very long drive. After much debate,
a plan was derived and the "bridge that couldn't be built"
was begun. It would link this city with a deserted peninsula
of land via an incredibly expensive bridge. There were only
a couple of fishermen shacks on the peninsula but nevertheless
the bridge was built. The promise was to improve access to the
city and provide a better means of transportation at a significant
savings to the individual travelers.
On May 28th, 1937 the first
car crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. It left San Francisco and
headed into Marin County. Marin County was truly nowhere. There
were no quaint little restaurants, or shops, or even people.
Sausalito was simply a ferry landing with some bars for the
riff-raff of the area. The Golden Gate Bridge changed commerce
for the city of San Francisco in profound and positive ways because
a few visionaries could see that a "bridge to nowhere"
has great possibilities. Have some vision and let yourself dream.
Patrick Branco
Ketchikan, AK - USA
About: Patrick Branco arrived
in Kodiak in 1974, spent a career in the Coast Guard and the
Navy and returned to Ketchikan in 2002.
Note: Comments published
on Viewpoints are the opinions of the writer
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.
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