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State Representative Denny McNamara
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3135
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS COLUMN
NEWS AND VIEWS FROM REP. DENNY McNAMARA
Hi everybody,
I wanted to bring you up to date about a few things. First is the new shorten schedule (6-8 weeks of one lane traffic instead of 12 weeks for repairs to the Highway 61 Hastings bridge. Second is a review of where we are as we enter the last month of session.
1) Scope of this year's work on Highway 61 Mississippi River bridge in Hastings reduced. Length of long-term single lane traffic lessened
The recently announced decision to advance replacement of the Highway 61 Mississippi River bridge at Hastings to June of 2010, has prompted the Minnesota Department of Transportation to reduce the amount of work on this year's maintenance and painting project on the existing bridge. It is likely that the resulting reduction in work will lessen the length of time the bridge will be restricted to a single lane from approximately 12 weeks to between six and eight weeks.
Although preliminary work on the project began in mid-April, the main part of the project is now expected to begin sometime the week of May 12 with bridge traffic restricted to one lane, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A temporary signal system will control traffic crossing the bridge. The single lane restriction is expected to be lifted by mid-July. However, there will be occasional, non-peak lane closures to finish work into early fall. And complete closures of the bridge over two or
three weekends to replace bridge bearings will still be scheduled.
The scope of the project was reduced to the most necessary work needed to keep the bridge safe and in good repair until it is replaced. Changes to the work include painting the bridge to only about two or three feet above the bridge deck and a
reduction in repairs to expansion joints, sidewalk and curbs. Planned repair of bridge bearings, deck crack sealing and other deck repairs will still be done as planned.
The maintenance and painting project includes painting all steel members of the bridge from below the bridge deck to about three feet above the deck; repairing the sidewalk, curb and a portion of the deck; replacing expansion points in the
deck; and removing, repairing and reinstalling bearings on several of the piers.
2)We have just over three weeks left in the 2008 legislative session, and the biggest issue of the year, our $935 million budget deficit remains unsolved. Currently, Governor Pawlenty and House and Senate leaders are exchanging offers in order to come to a budget deal before session is required to end. I’ll keep you posted as the deadline nears.
On April 24, the House spent nearly the entire day in a floor session debating and approving multiple bills. One of them was the Omnibus Agriculture and Veterans Policy bill, which I was happy to help approve.
I’ve always felt it’s important to assist members of the armed forces because they’ve done so much for us. Some of the more interesting provisions in this bill include expanding the Minnesota GI bill to provide financial assistance for the entire year and adjusts the formula to provide for more graduate school assistance; requiring the Minnesota Department of Health to consult with other healthcare organizations in order to explore options of a public/private partnership for supplying all healthcare needs to veterans in Minnesota; and creating the possibility for more than one state Veterans cemetery.
That same day, we spent more than three hours (on a day that we were in session until 2:30 a.m.) debating if we need to add a 50-cent tax to a gallon of paint, which I strongly opposed.
If you are a paint contractor from our area, you would have a choice if this tax increase became law: Continue to buy your paint in Hastings or Cottage Grove and pay the fee, or drive across the border to Prescott and save yourself hundreds or even a thousand dollars a year.
Who could blame the contractor for wanting to save some money, and who could blame our local paint stores from being outraged that state government is sending business out of state?
When the $6.6 billion transportation tax increase bill passed, I had hoped we were through trying to level tax hikes on our residents and would begin working on policies we all could agree on. Instead, leadership is taking us another direction, by continuing to propose tax increases on things like paint, and crafting property tax relief proposals that eliminate would eliminate Market Value Credit, the Property Tax Refund program, and the itemizing of your property tax deduction on your state income taxes.
It remains to be seen if Governor Pawlenty will sign any or all of these proposals. If he doesn’t, we may be setting ourselves up for another last minute showdown between the Republican Governor and the DFL-led legislature.
Keep in touch,
Denny
News Items
- NEWS AND VIEWS WITH REP. DENNY McNAMARA - (Posted: 2012-05-09 00:00:00)
- NEWS AND VIEWS WITH REP. DENNY McNAMARA - (Posted: 2012-05-02 00:00:00)
- NEWS AND VIEWS WITH REP. DENNY McNAMARA - (Posted: 2012-03-23 00:00:00)
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