US should have decent roads, bridges, ports by Staff Writer Appearing in Sacramento Bee on 2007-09-04. The United States, the wealthiest country in the world, can still afford to have something it used to have: the world's best transportation infrastructure. Clearly, the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota points to much larger problems with the nation's roads and bridges. They are aging. They are carrying much more traffic and weight than they were designed for. But elected leaders have been unwilling to raise new funds to invest in repairs and innovative transportation initiatives. The question is whether Americans and their elected leaders will do anything about it. Rep. Jim Oberstar, the Minnesota Democrat who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has at least offered a first step of a plan -- with bridges at the top of the list. To meet the immediate crisis of repairing, rehabilitating and replacing the 6,175 National Highway System bridges rated as "structurally deficient," he has proposed establishing a trust fund dedicated to bridge projects. Safety priorities would determine allocations; no congressional or presidential earmarks (otherwise known as "pork") would be allowed. To raise money for the trust fund, Oberstar has suggested reviving earlier proposals for a 5-cent increase in the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal gasoline tax, which hasn't changed since 1993. Though the proposal had bipartisan support, President Bush rejected it in 2005. The Republican governor of Minnesota had a conversion experience on the gas tax after the bridge collapse. Bush should, too. The gas tax, stuck at 18.4 cents for 14 years, just doesn't buy the kind of reconstruction and new transportation infrastructure this country needs. A higher gas tax over the long term also might encourage conservation, leading more people to take public transportation, live closer to work or drive smaller, more efficient cars. Oberstar hosts a hearing on Wednesday to pin down exactly how much it would cost to meet the nation's bridge needs and get agreement on a funding source. A 5-cent increase in the gas tax would raise about $25 billion in three years. He hopes to have a bill to the House floor by the end of the month. Members of Congress from both parties should support this 5-cent increase in the gas tax to reconstruct the nation's most vulnerable bridges. Americans should press those who oppose this modest increase, including the president, to come up with a realistic, reliable source of revenue. Oberstar's proposal won't solve all the nation's problems with bridges and highways. Thousands of the nation's bridges were built 30 to 40 years ago and are reaching the end of their design life much earlier than expected because of increased traffic and heavier loads. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., has called Oberstar's bridge trust fund plan a "Band-Aid approach." He wants Congress to focus on a national strategic transportation plan. This isn't an either/or situation, however. The nation needs a bridge reconstruction fund -- and a long-term strategy to address U.S. underinvestment in roads and bridges, public transit, rail systems, airports and shipping ports. Meeting those needs is a big job. Oberstar's proposal offers a place to start.

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