[StBernard] Editorial: Free I-49: Hostage to politics, short-sightedness

[Westley Annis]

Editorial: Free I-49: Hostage to politics, short-sightedness

Periodically, the press office will publish editorials and columns that feature Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's work in various areas. 

Shreveport Times: Editorial: Free I-49: Hostage to politics, short-sightedness
Published: June 7, 2007
View the article online <http://shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070607/OPINION03/706070322/1007/OPINION> 

We figure the next edition of the Merriam Webster dictionary will include an Interstate 49 road sign next to the word "frustration."

Or next to "short sighted" it may include a photo of the state capitol.

Completing this highway from Shreveport to the Arkansas line and thus to the economic vistas of the Midwest and ultimately Canada is one of the smartest commitments this state could make.

Instead, we hear the state transportation secretary lament to lawmakers Monday that Louisiana is rapidly losing ground on construction costs for

I-49 north. The one-time $360 million project is now pegged at $560 million and Secretary Johnny Bradberry says another $280 million is needed from the federal government.

Then Tuesday, with a northwest Louisiana delegation of 60 pleading the region's case, I-49 construction bonds totaling $27.3 million for north and south portions get caught up in a political tug o' war that pits construction projects against tax breaks in a fight over the budget surplus.

With the administration eager to commit $400 million to a German steel mill and just this week $50 million to help attract an expanded cyber warfare mission to Barksdale Air Force Base - thank you very much, Governor - it seems Baton Rouge can't visualize a similar boon in jobs and commerce that would be created by a completed I-49.

What's so wrong with recommitting a portion of that steel mill money - no longer needed because the Germans picked Alabama - to an I-49 push, knowing that ultimately the federal dollars will come back in matching funds. Meanwhile, state economic development will more than compensate for the expenditure.

It's hard to find a spending priority without merit in the state budget, but lawmakers salivating over the surplus need to make sure the state is swinging for extra bases in setting priorities. Significant chunks of dollars committed to education and highways are the sweet spots that will put Louisiana in the game with the rest of the nation.

As for the tax-cut champions, those lawmakers should note that analysts already are noting the revenue surge is showing signs of plateauing, that the post-hurricane "false" economy will recede and could leave us scratching once again for budget dollars.

Meanwhile, the Legislature can at least approve local legislation that would allow the state to use unclaimed property revenues previously committed to retiring I-49 construction debt to also be used for direct spending on any related expenses.

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