It's hard to celebrate 150 years when we're 20 years behind

The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a special-issue stamp in May celebrating Minnesota’s 150th year of statehood with a stunning aerial photo of the Highway 43 bridge across the Mississippi at Winona.

The irony — which we see Minnesota Monitor also noted — the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) closed the bridge in June for safety reasons. 

The bridge closing is yet another sign that Minnesota needs to step up the public sector investments that serve the state’s citizens and advance the state’s economy.

At age 150, Minnesota must invest in the future to keep the state strong and growing in the years to come.

MnDOT is reviewing conditions of the state’s truss bridges in light of the collapse last summer of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis.

Bridge inspectors spotted corrosion on the gusset plates along the approach to the Winona bridge and wisely shut it down. One of the gusset plates shows signs of distortion.

For now the 12,000 vehicles that would normally cross the Winona bridge each day must trek up to 60 miles out of their way to get to the next nearest bridge and back, at least until MnDOT determines whether it needs to keep the bridge closed during repairs, or longer if MnDOT decides to replace the bridge.

The sudden bridge closings — in Winona, in St. Cloud with the Highway 23 DeSoto Bridge, in Minneapolis with the Lowry Ave. bridge, and in Duluth with the Blatnik bridge — tie back to concerns raised by the failure of the I-35W bridge, but they are signs, too, of lagging investment in the state’s critical infrastructure during recent years.

Winona City Council Member Tim Breza expressed shock at the bridge’s condition, telling Minnesota Public Radio, “"It's deplorable that the maintenance has not been kept up on the bridges in the state of Minnesota and our bridge in Winona."

Fortunately the state legislature passed measures in the 2008 session that provide additional funding for transportation improvements. Those new dollars will pay for the bridge work and other improvements. 

Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed the 2008 transportation package, calling it too costly. The legislature overrode the veto, concluding that continued inaction on transportation in light of growing needs would be far more costly in the long run to the state and its well-being. The package helps address the backlog but falls short of what’s necessary to move Minnesota significantly ahead on transportation issues.

Adjusted for inflation and increases in travel, state government expenditures by 2006 on highways alone lagged behind the 1986 level over a 20-year period by a cumulative $13.9 billion. And the state is expected to add about 1 million more residents by 2030; with them will come increased demands for travel and transportation improvements. 

As we celebrate the state’s past, it’s important to invest in its future.

— Matt Kane

Comments

[Jeff Rosenberg]

In his veto message, Tim Pawlenty specifically noted that he thought the increased taxes for transportation would be bad for business. I wonder what the cost will be to businesses that will now need to force their trucks to make 60-mile detours.