When I read in your newspaper about the efforts of a group of legislators to keep Highway 59 classified as a major arterial highway, my only thought was that thanks to the failed transportation policies of the recent past, more roads in Minnesota are falling apart now than ever before.
Our transportation system is falling behind by $1 billion per year, and a recent study conducted by MnDOT shows that road surfaces in Minnesota are getting worse and worse. While I don't want Highway 59 to be downgraded, the distinction won't matter much if we don't start adequately funding our roads and maintaining them in the first place. We need a change of leadership in St. Paul.
