Issue Position: Transportation

Issue Position

From the Northwest Angle to the bluffs near Lake Pepin, and From Gooseberry Falls to the sights at Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota is a beautiful state with many thousands of acres of pristine and beautiful wilderness for people to enjoy year round. To get to these remote places it also has thousands of miles of roads, many that are in dire need of repair -- the state also has thousands of bridges that are aged-out and dangerous to use, with over 700 bridges termed "structurally deficient" and in need of immediate repair or replacement (2017 report from American Road & Transportation Builders Association). Major transportation challenges are facing all Minnesotans.

The state has been playing a game of catch up, especially in rural Minnesota, and continues to fall behind in road and bridge investments in order to fund critical maintenance and replacement projects. Minnesota has yet to adequately address emerging transportation issues and concerns posed by the needs of our residents, as well as forecasts of population growth, and perhaps most importantly, the overall environmental impacts of the current system. Transportation priorities need to be reassessed and realigned. For safety, as well as economic reasons, we cannot allow ourselves to fall further behind.

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