EDITORIAL: Build a bridge to better road funding

In Northwest Indiana, that has been the case for people who used to travel the Cline Avenue bridge, until it was shut down in 2009. That bridge still hasn't been replaced, forcing traffic to use local roads.

Now Crown Point-based Walsh Construction is working to stabilize the closed I-65 bridge near Indianapolis. The closure has sent traffic out into rural Indiana, adding what the Indiana Department of Transportation says is nine miles and 25 minutes to the northbound trip, though motorists have said the delay is a lot longer.

Both of these bridges, along with crumbling roadways, are symbols of lagging investment in transportation infrastructure.

How many miles of new pavement have you seen lately in Indiana? And how long has new asphalt lasted before it begins to crumble?

In its 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Indiana a C+ for bridges and a C- for roads — and that was after the Major Moves money made a big boost in transportation spending. That money is just about gone, though. 

The nation as a whole earned a C+ for bridges and a D for roads. It isn't difficult to figure out Indiana will be sliding into that spectrum without a major funding transportation boost.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said he’s open to the possibility of spending some of the state surplus on infrastructure needs, particularly after the I-65 bridge was closed near Lafayette. That’s a start, but it’s not a long-term fix for transportation funding needs.

On July 31, President Barack Obama signed legislation that, once again, offered a short-term fix for transportation spending. Congress is unable to agree on a transportation funding strategy, so these short-term extensions have become commonplace.

Without a long-term funding strategy for federal transportation aid, it is difficult for states to map out their own spending plans.

In years past, the federal gas tax generated enough money to cover federal transportation infrastructure spending. That's no longer the case. Among the contributing factors are increased fuel efficiency and alternative fuels that aren't subject to the fuel tax that supports transportation infrastructure spending.

Congress needs to take a serious look at transportation funding and reach an agreement on both how to generate the money for it and how to allocate it.

Indiana, too, needs to generate sufficient revenue to adequately maintain roads and bridges. Major Moves was a windfall, but the state still needs a sustainable strategy for transportation funding.

Transportation infrastructure is the lifeblood of commerce. Indiana, which calls itself the Crossroads of America, must stop making motorists cross about its roads.