Everyone has 20-20 hindsight, so it&8217;s no surprise that last week&8217;s I-35W bridge collapse in the Twin Cities has Minnesotans and their elected officials thinking about whether the state has invested enough in its transportation system. The answers coming out vary depending on the viewpoint, but the reality is that the state has not only failed to invest properly in transportation, it has not always been wise in what it has chosen to invest.

It does not take a structural engineer to guess that problems might be looming for a bridge built 40-some years ago to carry a third or a quarter of its current traffic load. And it&8217;s unlikely that the I-35W bridge that collapsed is the only one in the state that is old and under-designed. If that bridge, and others in similar condition, are not getting all the repair and maintenance attention they need, then the state has clearly not spent enough on transportation.

But a bigger issue is how those transportation dollars are spent. The Twin Cities metro area in particular has been a problem, because the state has invested heavily in building new roads and bridges &8212; dealing with immediate issues rather than looking into the past to address failing structure or into the future to avoid looming problems.

As to the past, the Aug. 1 tragedy speaks for itself. As for the future, Minnesota&8217;s extraordinarily weak public transit system speaks to a lack of vision. One reason that traffic on I-35W exceeds all design estimates is that Twin Cities commuters have few viable options but to drive. One light rail train exists, and it is not on a densely traveled route. Bus service in the Twin Cities has suffered cutback after cutback. Until Minnesota invests seriously in public transportation, rather than encouraging commuters to drive their own cars, it will always be behind the curve on transportation funding. It will never catch up with all the automobile-based needs, such as interstate bridges, that cry out for dollars. Reducing automobile traffic &8212; in the metro area first, then statewide &8212; is a key to getting ahead of the curve.

&8212; The Daily Journal of Fergus Falls, Aug. 9