To a non-Alaskan unfamiliar with the harsh realities of living in remote corners of the nation's largest state, the proposed link of two small towns whose populations barely total 1,000 people may seem like a "road to nowhere."

Unfortunately, former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's March 11 commentary in The Times reflects this unsympathetic thinking. His delusive comments don't change the fact that this small, lifesaving road would provide the people of King Cove, Alaska, with access to medical care in emergencies.

When the federal government created the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 54 years ago, it cut off the traditional land route between the Aleut community of King Cove and the World War II-era outpost of Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula. The 965 residents of King Cove have been trying to get road access to the all-weather airport in Cold Bay ever since.

It's not hard to understand why: Nineteen people have died, either in plane crashes or because they couldn't get timely medical treatment. In a community with no hospital or doctor, King Cove residents must fly more than 600 miles to Anchorage for most medical procedures.