Rep. Kathy Tingelstad

During the past week, the Minnesota House of Representatives deleted all funding for the Northstar commuter rail project out of the bonding legislation.

Monday, March 25, 2002

During the past week, the Minnesota House of Representatives deleted all funding for the Northstar commuter rail project out of the bonding legislation. Although President Bush, congressional leaders, Governor Ventura and a majority of members of the Minnesota Senate and House supports the Northstar commuter rail project, it was removed from the bonding legislation after a weekend of reconsideration.

I have served as state representative for the past six years. I am not naive about how power politics are played. Unfortunately, the short-sighted effort to play politics with transportation is likely to cost Minnesota taxpayers for years to come.

Congestion has become a big problem

The Northstar corridor, which includes the area between St. Cloud and Minneapolis, is the fastest growing region in Minnesota. While growth means economic development, it also means we have to expand public infrastructures to support the growth. New highways are one option but most transportation experts believe an integrated transportation system is the best option.

While some lawmakers strongly oppose transit and rail, the people who drive these congested roads understand both the problem and how to fix it. That’s why 80 percent of the residents surveyed in a recent poll agreed that Northstar commuter rail was a good idea. They recognize that roads and transit are both needed to solve the growing congestion problem.

Commuter rail is the most cost-effective option

I am a fiscal conservative, which is why supporting this Northstar project funding has been easy for me. Northstar is a far more cost-effective solution than a roads-only approach. Because the Burlington Northern rail lines already exist, Northstar commuter rail is one-third of the cost of building new road lanes on Highway 10 or Interstate 94. And as demand for commuter rail grows, we would just add another rail car on a route – it’s as simple as that. In addition, for $120 million in low-interest rate bonds, the State of Minnesota can leverage another $174 million in funding from other sources to upgrade existing rail lines for Northstar. That’s a pretty good return for the taxpayers of the state.

The time is now

There are only a few days left in the legislative session, and final negotiations are occurring on the bonding bill. There is one last chance to keep Minnesota from experiencing endless congestion, and endless tax increases to pay for endless road projects: we must fund Northstar. We will be sending a signal to Washington that Minnesota understands – and that we want an integrated system that provides options. More importantly, we will be sending a signal to frustrated commuters that help is on the way.

Commuter rail or more congestion -&160;the choice is up to us. Now its time for the legislature to do the right thing: fund the Northstar project with low-interest bonds.

Rep. Kathy Tingelstad (R-Andover) is the chief House author of the Northstar legislation and is vice chair of the Environment Policy Committee.