Mankato Free Press, July 29, 2008

State transportation department officials were short of chairs and short of cash to meet the demand they found at a public hearing to discuss a new 20-year highway funding plan. Staff at the Best Western in North Mankato fixed the chair problem by bringing more seating to supplement the 120 chairs already filled.

Terry talked with MnDOT Commissioner Sorel after the meeting

A solution to the money problem wasn’t as easy to find. Minnesota Department of Transportation leaders showed slides to area city and county officials, slides filled with numbers that suggested virtually all of the new money from a rising gas tax would be consumed by inflation, bridge repairs and preservation of existing highways.

“It clearly shows that we don’t have enough funding for these major projects in the next 10 years, probably not the next 20 years,” said Lisa Bigham, the planning director for MnDOT’s Mankato-based District 7.

The response to that, at least from many of the southern Minnesotans who spoke at the meeting, was simple: Then you need to reprioritize.

The most common complaint was the plan’s focus — on bridges and maintaining existing roads — left no hope of funding for Highway 14 improvements, including the expansion of the highway to four lanes between North Mankato and New Ulm.

“That’s what they’re asking about,” North Mankato Mayor Gary Zellmer said of area residents. “This plan? Nice plan, but it’s not what we need.”

Blue Earth County Public Works Director Al Forsberg said he can relate to the challenges of trying to do major projects when funding is limited and inflation in construction costs is steep. But Forsberg said state officials need to rework the plan to leave more room for needed highway expansion projects.

That prompted Peggy Reichert, MnDOT’s statewide planning director, to ask Forsberg whether he wanted to free up that money by eliminating bridge repairs and replacements or letting pavement on existing highways deteriorate further.

Forsberg said that decision would have to be made by state officials, but it’s necessary that they do.

“We would urge that you do the hard work (of finding more balance),” Forsberg said.

New Ulm Mayor Joel Albrecht offered to make one difficult decision for MnDOT officials, who are planning to replace one of his city’s bridges over the Minnesota River in 2018. City residents would gladly close the bridge and use the money instead to speed up construction of a four-lane Highway 14, Albrecht predicted.

“It’ll be 2040, possibly 2050, at the present pace,” he said of the completion of the long-awaited expansion project.

Reichert said MnDOT’s hands are tied to a large extent.

“What they told us to do takes almost all the money,” Reichert said of the Legislature and the Office of the Legislative Auditor.

State Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, challenged that assertion.

The auditor’s office suggested MnDOT was unwisely spending too little of its resources on maintenance and preservation of existing highways. But Morrow said the auditor’s report came out before lawmakers pushed through a gas-tax increase that will generate billions of dollars of additional revenue, and the report merely suggests — rather than dictates — how MnDOT should spend the money.

Morrow said the transportation funding legislation may have been worded in a way that left MnDOT officials believing they needed to spend $1.7 billion on bridges. He believes the Legislature’s intent was to mandate something closer to $600 million.

MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel said a more detailed 20-year plan will be presented in January and assured local officials that changes were possible.

“We will work with you to try to sort this out,” Sorel said.

Photo: Mankato Free Press

See also “Plans for Highways” New Ulm Journal (7/29/08)

http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/502194.html?nav=5009