Politics

ST. PAUL (AP) ― Gov. Tim Pawlenty moved local bridges and other transportation projects to the top of his list on Monday as he outlined a nearly $1 billion public works package.

Nearly six months after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse highlighted Minnesota's infrastructure failings, the Republican governor earmarked almost 40 percent of his bonding recommendations for county and city bridges and other transportation items.

His plan would provide $225 million to help replace 600 local bridges across the state, if cities and counties came up with matching money. Another $30 million would go to local roads, $55 million would help shake loose federal cash for improvements to a Minneapolis freeway and $70 million would show qualified state support for the Central Corridor light rail project linking Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Pawlenty said the Minneapolis bridge collapse made money for bridges a priority.

"Is there a renewed or a new commitment or concern to bridges in light of the 35W bridge tragedy? Of course -- of course," Pawlenty said at a Capitol news conference. "This is an opportunity with a large bonding bill to make significant progress by dedicating a disproportionate amount to those needs."

Democrats said the attempt to address transportation problems through bonding didn't go far enough. They're holding out for a big transportation spending bill that will help whittle down a backlog of projects approaching $2 billion a year, according to some estimates.

"What he's up to is trying to cover for two things -- a bridge that went down and the fact that he vetoed a comprehensive transportation bill that passed by more than two-thirds of both houses," said Senate Capital Investment Committee Chairman Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon.

Pawlenty last year vetoed a roads-and-transit spending bill that would have raised the state gas tax, license tab fees and some local sales taxes. Langseth's House counterpart, Rep. Alice Hausman, said it will take more than borrowing to address Minnesota's transportation needs.

But counties, cities and townships could put the bridge money to good use, said Jim Mulder, executive director of the Association of Minnesota Counties. He said nearly $100 million of local bridge projects are ready to go, and the backlog of projects may be as high as $1 billion.

"The bridge system out there right now was not built to hold the size of loads that are being hauled," said Mulder, who said some of the rural bridges are lightly traveled but critical to the farm economy. "We need to upgrade."

Criticism came from University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks, who said the state's lack of transportation funding is starting to eat into other priorities, including higher education.

Pawlenty's proposal includes a combined $258 million to University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities campuses, including the cash to build or upgrade science buildings in the Twin Cities, Mankato, St. Cloud and Bemidji.

The governor said his recommendations for higher education were "reasonable" and the university and MnSCU systems would each get $129 million.

But MnSCU spokeswoman Melinda Voss said MnSCU schools would end up with $29 million less than the university in state money because they'd be required to come up with that amount on their own.

He said his proposal -- which calls for $965 million in general obligation bonding and totals $1.09 billion when certain other types of bonds and cash are included -- was fiscally responsible.

"It is essentially devoid of any earmarks, pork-barrel or purely local projects," he said.

Pawlenty rejected $3 in proposals for every $1 he included in his recommendations, and said the overall amount is in line with previous bonding bills and the principal that debt service should consume no more than 3 percent of the state's budget. He said he won't sign a bonding bill that contains more that $965 million in general obligation bonding -- and the overall amount might have to be trimmed if a revenue forecast next month shows a growing deficit.

Other items in the proposal:

--$35 million for improvements to the Minneapolis Veterans Home and $30 million for infrastructure related to the Minnesota Steel facility on the Iron Range.

--$70 million, or half the requested funding, for the Central Corridor light rail project. Pawlenty said the project "needs to go on a diet" and could be in line for more state money if Minneapolis, St. Paul and Ramsey County cut the costs of the line connecting the two downtowns.

--$40 million to expand the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

Omitted from the proposal was Pawlenty's plan to create Lake Vermillion State Park. The governor said he'll submit a bill later that will draw on lottery money. He declined to give a figure because the state is still negotiating to buy the 2,500 acres from U.S. Steel, but said it appears the price will be "significantly less" than originally expected.

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The original I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River opened in November 1967 and was 1,907 feet in length. The replacement bridge opened in September 2008 and measures 1,216 feet in length.

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