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Clip: Season 43 Episode 8 | 5m 19s | Video has closed captioning.
Host Barry Anderson and guests discuss transportation issues. Watch Your Legislators live Thursdays at 8pm on Pioneer PBS or at pioneer.org/live, or facebook.com/yourlegislators/ Guests: Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (DFL) District 49 Eden Prairie; Sen. Jason Rarick (R) District 11 Pine City; Rep. Sandra Feist (DFL) District 39B New Brighton; Rep. Patricia Mueller (R) District 23B Austin
Aired: 03/16/23
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IMPORTANT ISSUE MAYBE FOR SOME FUTURE DISCUSSION WITH OUR FUTURE GUESTS.
WE HAVE A VIEWER WHO HAS REMINDED US THAT WE SPENT VERY LITTLE TIME TALKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION.
WE HAVE ABOUT 5 MINUTES LEFT.
LET'S START WITH YOU, SENATOR CWODZONSKI.
TELL US WHERE YOU SEE TRANSPORTATION GOING IN THIS SESSION.
>> WOW.
YOU KNOW -- >> Barry: TALK ABOUT 12.
>> YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, 6, 7 YEARS AGO WHEN I GOT ELECTED, SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL WAS A COOL THING, AND IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, AND IT WAS GOING TO BE UNDER BUDGET, WINK, WINK, AND FINISHED BY 2022.
THEN IT'S JUST BEEN, YOU KNOW, COST OVERRUNS.
IT'S GOING TO BE TWICE AS WHAT IT WAS EXPECTED TO COST.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE DONE, I DON'T THINK NOW, UNTIL 2027.
IT'S JUST BEEN A HORRIBLE THING FOR THE SOUTHWEST AND FOR THE WHOLE STATE.
IT'S THE LARGEST AT WORKS PROJECT IN THE HISTORY OF MINNESOTA.
I WANT TO GET IT RIGHT.
THE AUDITORS REPORT HAS COME OUT.
DEALING WITH WHAT WE HAVE DONE WRONG.
BECAUSE WE WANT TO GET PUBLIC TRANSIT RIGHT.
I THINK WE ARE GOING TO LEARN A LOT OF VALUABLE LESSONS FROM THE MISTAKES WE MADE AND THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA WILL BENEFIT.
RIGHT NOW WE GOT A LOT OF MEANING TO FIND OUT WHAT WENT WRONG.
>> Barry: SENATOR RARICK, TRANSPORTATION.
>> WE HAVE GOT TO GET ACTIVE FOCUSING ON FIXING ROADS AND BRIDGES.
IF YOU ARE DRIVING AROUND ST. PAUL, YOU SEE POTHOLES AND I THINK THEY HAVE GOT TO COME UP WITH A NEW NAME.
BECAUSE THEY ARE FAR BIGGER THAN I HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.
IT'S BEEN AN ISSUE.
I SERVED ON TRANSPORTATION A FEW YEARS AGO.
IT WAS SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT, HIGHWAY USER TRANSPORTATION FUND IS BEING USED FOR A LOT OF ADMINISTRATION.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS A PROBLEM.
THAT FUNDING ALL NEEDS TO GO INTO ROADS, AND WE ALL KNOW THE GAS TAX IS KIND OF A DYING SOURCE.
SO I HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING THE FULL -- USING SALES TAXES FROM AUTO PARTS AND LEASES AND ALL OF THAT, BUT 100% TO GO INTO TRANSPORTATION TO FUND OUR ROADS.
THAT'S WHERE I WOULD WANT TO SEE TRANSPORTATION ISSUES GOING.
>> Barry: REPRESENTATIVE MUELLER, YOUR THOUGHTS ON TRANSPORTATION.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT HAVING A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE, SUCH AS ROADS AND BRIDGES, IS A CORE FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT AND ANY TYPE OF FUNDING THAT WE DO IS EXPEDIENTIALLY FELT OUT IN THE RURAL AREA.
WE HAVE NOT ONLY -- NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE CARS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE, I GUESS, SIMILAR TO THE URBAN AREAS.
THEY HAVE ALL THE BUSES AND OTHER THINGS, BUT WE HAVE TRACTORS AND OTHER HEAVY EQUIPMENT THAT ARE USING THE ROADS AS WELL.
MAKING SURE WE HAVE FUNDING BUT IT'S ALSO BALANCED FUNDING, SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE OUR ROADS AND BRIDGES OUT HERE, AND ALSO TO REMEMBER WE NEED TO HAVE A BALANCED APPROACH WHEN IT COMES TO ENERGY, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTATION.
IT IS NOT FEASIBLE FOR US TO THINK THAT OUR OUT OF STATE MEMBERS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUDDENLY GO TO ELECTRIC CARS, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY CONCERNING TO MANY MEMBERS AS WE WERE LOOKING AT THE BILL THAT WOULD REQUIRE EVERYTHING TO BE ELECTRIC OR NONPETROLEUM BY 2040.
WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A GOOD BALANCED APPROACH AND THAT OUR FUNDING IS BALANCED AS WELL.
>> Barry: POTHOLE PROBLEMS, I NOMINATE SEVENTH STREET IN ST. PAUL AS A PLACE TO BEGIN THE POTHOLE FIXING PROJECTS.
I THINK THERE'S A PIECE OF MY AXLE IN ONE OF THOSE POTHOLES.
REPRESENTATIVE FEIST, TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
YOU GET TO BAT LAST, AND YOU WILL BE OUR LAST COMMENTATOR OF THE EVENING.
THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
>> THANKS.
SO I'M GOING TO GET REALLY GRANULAR.
THE THING THINKS MOST INTERESTED IN TRANSPORTATION ARE HIGHWAY 5 AND CENTRAL AVENUE, WHICH IMPACT MY DISTRICT.
SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS TO MINN DOT, THEY HAVE BEEN COLLABORATIVE AND DETAILED IN TRYING TO ADDRESS SAFETY ISSUES, ACCESS ISSUES AND JUST MAKING THE ROADS SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE AND PLEASANT TO DRIVE ON AND TO BE A PEDESTRIAN ON.
I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT TRANSPORTATION FROM A MULTIMODAL PERSPECTIVE.
BIKING, WALKING PATHS, OUR ROADS AND OUR MASS TRANSIT.
>> Barry: WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE TRANSPORTATION BILL AT THIS MOMENT?
CAN ANYBODY PROVIDE US ANY GUIDANCE ON THAT?
THERE IS GOING TO BE A MASS BILL OF SOME SORT BEFORE THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION ENDS, CORRECT?
>> NO, THERE'S NO TARGETS YET,
