Our Opinion: A driving issue

Published 10:51 am Friday, November 15, 2013

Few people in Minnesota are likely mourning the fact that road construction season is nearing its end as winter approaches. To the drivers looking to get from point A. to point B. as efficiently as possible, these road projects are little more than a headache.

But the bigger headache is how to address the state’s financing gap for maintaining roads and bridges. It’s an issue state officials need to be proactive in addressing, and the public needs to become more involved in planning for the future.

Earlier this month, Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Charles Zelle told the Marshall Independent an additional $50 billion — yes, billion — is needed to address improvements to the state’s transportation infrastructure, which includes air traffic, railroads and highways. For roads and bridges alone, the gap would be closer to $12 billion, and $5 billion of that would just represent the cost to maintain and repair existing roads and bridges.

Email newsletter signup

Concerns surrounding deteriorating roads in the state and nation keep piling up. According to Transportation America, Mower County has 68 deficient bridges — nearly 21 percent of the county’s bridges, which means the county has the fourth highest percentage of deficient bridges. Minnesota has 1,191 structurally deficient bridges, according to the same report. Another recent report found that at least 35 cities in Minnesota are paying millions to fix crumbling street pavement.

Perhaps the most concerning news is that rural roads may be falling to the back of the line, according to the Center for Rural Policy and Development out of St. Peter. Not only are revenues from the gas tax — a key state and federal source to fund road maintenance — holding steady or declining, but a new federal policy is expected to concentrate federal funds on National Highway System roads, and Center for Rural Policy and Development officials fear this could funnel money away from secondary and rural roads.

In recent years, discussions about the road system have often taken a back seat to other hot-button issues. It’s time for our leaders and the public to start working together to come up with solutions before the problems get much worse. National, state and local leaders need to do a better job seeking input and ideas from the public, and frankly it’s in the best interest of residents to get involved.

Nobody really likes road construction, but people like deteriorating roads even less.