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That editorial can be found online at: http://www.winona
dailynews.com/articles/2006/12/31/opinion/ourviews/00edit31.txt. We’re reprising this editorial again because the issues of a year ago are even more profound today.
— Darrell Ehrlick, editor
“But will it take a bridge falling apart with motorists on it to get us to realize the state has needs, not just wants?”
— Winona Daily News editorial, Dec. 31, 2006
Tragically, it might have been a matter of when, not if. And there is absolutely no joy, no gloating in “We told you so.”
In the inevitable rush to find out what caused Wednesday’s catastrophic Interstate 35W bridge failure, there’s a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of talk about inspections and a lot of grief for those who were injured or lost his or her life.
And now, with the television cameras turned on and the nation watching, Gov. Tim Pawlenty decides he might finally support a gas tax increase. This change of heart is well-timed at best for a man who refused such an increase twice recently.
It’s a shame that it took a disaster of this magnitude to change the governor’s mind. What’s even worse is the time Minnesota has lost by not properly funding roads and bridges. Even a modest increase in the tax — which hasn’t been raised since 1988 — will not fund all the state’s needs.
Right here in Winona, our interstate bridge got low marks and is years away from being replaced. The scary thing is that there are other bridges in worse condition, others that probably remain more of a safety hazard.
The refrain we’ve been hearing for years is that we need to cut taxes, yet no one would say this bridge disaster was worth the pennies saved.
Pawlenty supporters are quick to point out the 35W bridge is part of the federal interstate road system and he is nearly powerless to do much about it.
That’s true, but it doesn’t excuse the years of neglect that his administration has presided over. Pawlenty’s insistence on bonding for roads will only lead to another crisis decades from now when future generations will be paying for roads that will need replacing.
This bridge tragedy should send a clear message to politicians of all stripes: Stop it. Stop playing politics and fix the roads and bridges.
It is time to get serious about roads and bridges in Minnesota the entire state.
We live in the only region of the state that failed all categories of the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s ride quality. We also have more bad bridges than any other region in the state. We noted this a few months ago in an editorial: “Our own southeast district was the only district to fail all four Minnesota Department of Transportation ride-quality targets.” (June 17).
We hope that our legislative delegation will become the champions of more transportation funding, a topic which has bipartisan support in the Legislature.
When you invest in non-glamorous things like roads and bridges, it’s statistically impossible to quantify how many lives were saved by making improvements; yet, it’s always easy to show savings on a tax bill. But Wednesday’s tragedy was a sobering reminder that there is a price to be paid for good roads and bridges. And when looking at the pictures of a disabled school bus teetering on a broken span of the 35W bridge, that increase on the tax bill looks less and less significant.
Last week, Pawlenty pledged more inspections throughout the state. But inspections alone dodge the real question, and inspections will likely tell us what we already know the roads are crumbling. And the bridges that were in bad shape didn’t magically get better.
Instead of sending more inspectors, Gov. Pawlenty, just send money.
By Darrell Ehrlick, editor, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. Call 453-3507 or e-mail letters@winonadailynews.com.
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