Don’t wait for a crisis to invest

The Gresham Outlook, Aug 7, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

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Last week’s bridge collapse during a Minneapolis rush hour underscores the requirement for Oregon and the metro area to invest in highways and bridges before — not after — a crisis occurs here.

People should not die, the economy should not falter and livability should not suffer because Oregon’s leaders fail to take the opportunity to make the state’s infrastructure, including highways and bridges, safer from the mounting danger of decay and congestion.

Unfortunately in America, leadership and investment all too sadly follow tragedy and crisis.

The examples are many and graphic. National security was greatly heightened following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Federal emergency response and deteriorating levees became an issue after Hurricane Katrina. Investments in alternative fuels are increasing, but are doing so in the face of advancing global warming.

Safety and security endangered

Oregon, like many states, is at increased infrastructure risk due to its failure to invest, even while the pressures of population growth and the economy continue to mount.

Last week’s tragedy in Minneapolis may have occurred even if that state had invested in roads, highways and bridges. We may never know. But we do know that in the last two years, the governor of Minnesota three times had rejected legislation to spend money on infrastructure, including two proposed increases in the state gas tax.

Minnesota’s infrastructure needs may be worse than this state’s. But while Oregonians should care about the safety of others, their primary interest should be about their own safety, the security of the local economy and livability.

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