Wednesday, the Northland New Center reported in Race for Minnesota Governor: Marty Seifert backs completion of Highway 2:
The expansion of Highway 2 across the northern part of Minnesota is becoming a campaign issue in the Republican primary for Minnesota Governor.
Bill Kuisle, the running mate of Republican-endorsed gubernatorial candidate, Jeff Johnson, told the Owatanna People’s Press that Highway 2 should have stayed at two lanes instead of expanding to four. ...
Seifert also said if he is elected governor, he would like to see some segments of Highway 2 completed.
"Being a rural guy, I know and understand that Highway 2 needs to be four lanes," Seifert added. "How is the grain from northwestern Minnesota going to get to the ports of Duluth in a safe and easy fashion? How do we get the snowmobiles and the four wheelers to the ports of Duluth?"
We think they're called trains, Marty, but then you'd have to talk about oil trains given priority over farmer's grain shipments.
But it's also instructive to look at what Kuisle actually said in the July OPP article, Gov. running mate Kuisle talks roads, cannabis, MNsure:
Kuisle agrees with the conventional wisdom that transportation issues will take center stage in the next legislative session, and, as such, will play a big role in state politics this fall.
A main issue lies in the way transportation issues are prioritized, according to Kuisle, who served in the state Legislature and chaired the House Transportation Finance Committee. He said an initial step would be to refine the list of “wants” and “needs” that flood state agencies. . . .
Another issue for Kuisle is how the MnDOT and lawmakers interact. In general, he said that the Legislature has a “hands-off” approach to choosing transportation projects. But a strong legislator can lobby to get work done in his or her region, which can be a misplaced priority.
As an example, he mentioned U.S. Highway 2 in the northern part of the state. He said it was made into a four-lane roadway under the watch of former Rep. Jim Oberstar, who died earlier this year. Kuisle said that the highway should have stayed at two lanes. . . .
According to Wikipedia, United States Highway 2 is divided four-lane highway for 146 miles between East Grand Forks and Cass Lake, and "From Cass Lake to Duluth there are only a couple of short four-lane divided highway segments, but the non-urban portions of this segment are posted 60 mph (97 km/h) speed limit."
While serving in the Minnesota House, Seifert never sat on a transportation committee, though we're happy to see him affirm Oberstar's legacy.
Photo: The late Jim Oberstar, whose transportation legacy is a the center of a duel between the endorsed gubernatorial running mate and Marty Seifert.
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