Lawmaker wants to use old aircraft carriers to build new bridge
Apr 13, 2015, 11:35 AM | Updated: 2:55 pm
Rep. Jesse Young of the 26th District wants to use the USS Kitty Hawk and the USS Independence (not pictured) to build a bridge between Bremerton and Port Orchard. (AP)
(AP)
A Gig Harbor lawmaker wants to study the possibility of building a toll bridge out of retired Navy aircraft carriers.
The bridge could memorialize the Greatest Generation while generating revenue, said Rep. Jesse Young of the 26th District.
“If we have the opportunity to save these, not only are we giving back to the Greatest Generation, we are really honoring them in a way that is appropriate,” Young said.
He would like to link Bremerton and Port Orchard using two retired carriers now moored at the naval shipyard in Bremerton.
Money for a $90,000 feasibility study for Young’s idea was included in the state highway budget that passed the House last week. It could be stripped out of the final transportation spending plan ultimately passed by lawmakers.
Neither of the two ships Young would like to use – the USS Independence and USS Kitty Hawk – are currently available, according to a Navy spokesperson.
The area for a proposed bridge is rich in naval history. The Bremerton shipyard is the third largest in the country.
Young said the idea could be a revenue generating opportunity, too.
“This could be an anchor for tourism dollars for this district,” Young said.
Would you drive across a bridge made of retired aircraft carriers? It's been proposed. http://t.co/tUOkDP65pa pic.twitter.com/FPYntvVOd9
— Huntington Ingalls (@HIIndustries) April 10, 2015
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
