Sioux City Journal

Rants should be commended for highway funding efforts

Posted: Thursday, January 24, 2008

SIOUX CITY -- On Jan. 17, a Letter to the Editor criticized Rep. Christopher Rants for comments that if people want highway infrastructure improvements they must be willing to pay for it.

Gas taxes and other road fees have not been adjusted in nearly 20 years. The DOT in its TIME 21 report identified $28 billion in needs in the next 20 years. Those numbers are simply beyond our ability to finance. State and local governments narrowed the focus to the most critical needs of the system. That amounts to $4 billion or $200 million per year. Today we have flat revenues, higher construction material costs, and increased demand by the public for projects

Representative Rants should be commended for securing language last session in the TIME 21 policy bill that new funds shall go for projects on the commercial/industrial system that are currently in development (Highway 20) as well as interstates (I-29).

Our legislators have done their job regarding how new dollars should be spent. The IDOT commission must make investment decisions. Northwest Iowa cannot afford a situation where commissioners are forced to re-evaluate the affordability of projects currently in the pipeline or have projects stay in, but take 20-25 years to complete.

Siouxland will benefit if the Legislature approves additional revenue. Representative Rants should be commended for his leadership in educating the public about the stakes Northwest Iowans face. I am looking forward to new revenues from the rest of Iowa to improve Highway 20 and Interstate 29. -- Terry Hamer

Story Comments

John Vodochodsky wrote on Jan 25, 2008 11:32 PM:

" If you want to commend someone for perpetuating & increasing green house gases, transportation only by motor vehicle, encouraging our continueing addicting to fossil fuels, an increase in motor vehicle traffic, an increase in motor vehicle traffic accidents & fatalities, no tax breaks for those that choose alternative forms of transportation, ignoring alternative forms of transportation, poor infrastructure which discourages alternative forms of transportation then yeah Rants did a pretty good job, if I may say so. Way to go Rants! What's next? I think it's time to get Rants out of office. "

LMDW wrote on Jan 24, 2008 10:36 AM:

" Terry If you want to commend Mr. Rants that is fine with me. Now go out and identify the people that have waylaid the Hi-Way 20 project for the last 40 plus years. I would like to know how much the cost has increased because it wasn't done then.
Siouxland will benefit by knowing.
And then we can THROW THE RASCALS OUT!!! "

ER wrote on Jan 24, 2008 9:21 AM:

" "New revenue"? A nice way of saying please raise our taxes. No thanks. How about if our leaders wisely spend our money and look for ways to cut spending wherever possible? But that would take some effort. More effort than just raising taxes which is the easy way out. "