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Quote by: christibe  That bridge is a part of Interstate 35. So, though it is maintained by the state of Minnesota, most of the funding comes from federal levels. |
Exactly. The federal funding of interstate roads has ample precedent in American history, beginning with the National Road in 1818. The motley "system" of narrow and mostly unpaved private roads built in the late 18th and 19th centuries couldn't keep pace with demands of national commerce. Americans wanted a modern interstate road system which the states could not afford to build on their own, let alone regulate and maintain. We now enjoy one of the finest national highway systems in the world for a country of its size--perhaps the finest anywhere. It costs to maintain such a system for interstate commerce--a federal responsibility mentioned in Article One of the US Constitution. Critics have spent two centuries arguing that "regulating" interstate commerce doesn't include payment contributions for the same. And for two centuries their arguments have failed. It's the same old bitter frustration bubbling up again.