As someone who lived in Juneau (six years) and still lives in Sitka (11 years), I don't think the benefits of this boondoggle outweigh the negatives. For one thing, this road still won't connect with the highways in Haines or Skagway. You'll still have to take a ferry for part of the trip. Also, with our current financial situation I don't think Alaska can afford building a road to nowhere. We'd be better off beefing up our ferry system so we don't have a fleet of 50-year-old boats trying to serve a region where ferry service is critical to life in Southeast Alaska. While it might be prudent to build a connecting road at some point, now is not the time.