Dayton’s proposed bonding lacking

Gov. Mark Dayton rolled a proposed $1.4 billion bonding proposal last week.
We applaud the fact that Dayton’s proposal was pretty even-handed in terms of geography: 35 percent to the metro area, 35 percent to Greater Minnesota, and 30 percent that could be considered “statewide.”
But scrolling through the list of proposals, there is remarkably little listed under “transportation.” Most of Dayton’s proposed improvements are for facility improvements, some for rail and the rest for port authorities.
Missing are any plans for road and bridge improvements.
This past year has been full of debates, discussions and desire for an improved road and bridge system in Minnesota.
Heaven knows, we had the worst possible wake-up call to alert us to the crumbling, erosion and failure of our road and bridges: the 2007 collapse of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis.
In fact, in just nine short years, the Star Tribune reports, the “new” 35W bridge is already showing signs of aging.
The reality is that our roads and bridges are in desperate need of repair, upgrades and expansion. Our road system continues to be our main mode of transporting goods and services in Minnesota. We can scarcely afford to allow them to continue to deteriorate.
Gov. Dayton’s proposed bonding focuses heavily on water quality — no doubt, a high-priority issue in Minnesota.
But we also need to “spread the wealth” to other needs. We think transportation is a need that deserves more than a token nod of the head.
We hope our local legislators will take up the battle to improve our roads and bridges, particularly Highway 212. The need will not go away, no matter how much we ignore it.