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The bill, authored by Rep. Jim Oberstar, DFL-Minn., would allow for an additional $1 billion for repairs and inspection of some 71,000 deficient bridges in the United States.
It passed the House on Thursday on an overwhelming 367-55 vote. But it still must pass the Senate, and it also must get past opposition by President Bush, who thinks that it spends too much money.
Tell that to relatives of the 13 people killed in the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of a bridge near the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. That bridge was discovered to have had a design flaw that might have contributed to the collapse.
Our country’s infrastructure is in terrible shape, and reducing the amount of money needed to fix roads and bridges won’t help.
Oberstar originally sought a federal motor fuel tax increase of 5 cents a gallon to pay for the needed repairs. But that failed to win enough political backing.
Unfortunately, our reluctance to be realistic about spending needs is causing a massive increase in the deficit and the national debt. But that’s another story.
Oberstar’s bill includes an amendment by Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., that would require the Secretary of Transportation to report to Congress on the economic and traffic impacts of bridge closings.
That’s designed to call attention to bridge closings that involve federal-aid bridges — like the one between Winona and Wisconsin, which was closed for a time because of maintenance issues.
Both the additional money and the attention to detail would be welcome changes, and Oberstar and Walz should be praised for their work on this serious infrastructure issue.
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