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Real Transportation Work Begins, March 20, 2008

Passing the 2008 transportation funding bill was a major accomplishment or an enormous mistake, depending on your point of view. But now the real work must begin in order to make certain the money allocated for our roads and bridges provides the best overall value for the people of Minnesota.

In other words, now it’s time to produce results. What we need is the vision to recognize what kind of results we can have, instead of what we always have had.

The bill provides for the establishment of a fifteen-member Transportation Strategic Management and Operations Advisory Task Force to be appointed by the Governor and the legislative leadership. This will be a critical first step. We have the opportunity to appoint people with a broad knowledge of best practices being used throughout the transportation industry on a local, national and even global level.

We need to closely examine new but already proven techniques such as monitoring systems that track performance of structural components on bridges to improve maintenance and safety programs; paving systems that are far more durable and environmentally-friendly; road surface coatings that actually improve traction on ice and snow with fewer chemicals; and even new contracting methods that deliver faster project completion and fewer cost overruns while still maintaining a high quality level.

The Task Force report is due on December 15, 2008, but the Task Force itself expires on May 31, 2009. That potentially shortchanges our state during the crucial implementation phase. After all, we will be spending $600 million dollars each year for the next ten years. Only providing a one-year focus on making improvements is not a fiscally or structurally responsible approach.

We also need to stop resorting to the “us versus them” knee-jerk approach to problem solving and get down to the business of delivering truly world-class solutions to our road and bridge problems. We need a bipartisan effort that includes the expertise offered by MnDOT to work closely with the people of Minnesota to define priorities, implement powerful new ideas, create methods to continuously monitor and improve performance, and recognize success.

Once we begin to define a clear direction, our local engineering and construction industries can respond aggressively with investments in new technology and equipment that will increase their productivity. This will improve their ability to complete and help ensure that more work is performed by local businesses, which puts more money in the pockets of local workers and families, and bolsters local economies.

The people of Minnesota will provide the funding. Now it’s up to the Governor and the legislature to provide the leadership to deliver the best possible results.