Senators urge governor to act to address bridge safety and flooding
09/07/2007
ROCHESTER, MN (September 6, 2007) -- Senators from flood-stricken southeastern Minnesota today urged Gov. Pawlenty to call a special session of the Legislature to address disaster relief and bridge safety. State Sens. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona, Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester, and Transportation Chair Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, visited Winona, Rochester, St. Paul, and Duluth to advocate for the governor to call legislators back to St. Paul soon to address those two important issues.
The senators collectively urged the governor to show his commitment to the state by using his power to convene the special session. “The governor can call a special session when presented with ‘extraordinary occasions’,” said Sen. Lynch. “The floods and bridge safety around the state are exactly the kinds of events that we need a special session to address. He needs to deal with these important issues.”
“Many of my communities are devastated; businesses are destroyed, homes are ruined, and people are living in unbelievable conditions,” said Sen. Erickson Ropes. “Federal aid alone isn’t going to solve this problem, and people need to know that their leaders can and will help them. The governor pledged to hold a special session when he visited my area and now it appears he’s backing away just after giving people a glimmer of hope.”
The 35W bridge collapse in early August brought transportation safety to the forefront of public awareness. Recent Mn/DOT estimates show that the state would need $2.4 billion per year to address the needs of the public. Over 1,100 bridges in the state have been listed as “structurally deficient,” according to Mn/DOT. Senate Transportation Chair Murphy continues to advocate for a comprehensive transportation package to address road and bridge safety, despite the governor’s recent reluctance to fully address the issue.
“There are bridges right here in this area that are rated worse than the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis,” said Sen. Murphy. “This is about more than one bridge, this is about the safety of all of us and the crumbling roads and bridges that we use everyday. The governor’s playing ‘footsie’ with the idea of a special session, instead of stepping up to address the safety of motorists and the needs of people who are suffering from the floods.”
State Senator Steve Murphy
325 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., St. Paul MN 55155 E-mail:
State Senator Ann Lynch
G-24 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., St. Paul MN 55155 E-mail:
State Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes
G-24 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., St. Paul MN 55155 E-mail: