Michigan needs visionary leaders - people who can see beyond the difficulties of the moment to the needs and potential of the state's future, especially where infrastructure is concerned.

Gov. Rick Snyder showed his intention to move that way by supporting the Detroit River International Crossing bridge project in his State of the State address last month.

The state would be investing in a new span that would protect trade with neighboring Canada, in addition to prompting thousands of jobs as a new span is built.

Snyder added another gem to the project when he announced a federal agreement to count $550 million that the Canadian government has offered to spend to help Michigan develop the new bridge toward the state's match for federal highway dollars.

Should that come to pass, the $550 million could leverage matching money over several years, making it a very tasty carrot for a Legislature struggling with a $1.8 billion budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2011-12.
It's been urged here before that the Legislature must work through its questions and get DRIC moving. Surely, there is a way to get this important project under way.

Still, Michigan's needs investment in itself to extend beyond even this important international bridge project.
The state has grappled for years with the reality that its mechanism for funding road work no longer brings in sufficient money.

A coalition of diverse groups interested in jobs and the economy has been urging for years that lawmakers take a serious look at reworking this system and permitting much-needed investment in state and local infrastructure. They have offered general support for efforts to increase revenue. Some want increases in the gas tax; others, an increase in vehicle registration fees.

One understands lawmakers' hesitation to consider new fees or taxes.

But without a reliable level of quality for the state's infrastructure needs - roads, bridges, Internet access, building blocks of economic success - how can the state really advance?

So far, much of the vision applied in the Legislature in regard to roads has seemed a tad short-sighted. Focusing on the next election rather than the state's needs can create that kind of myopia.

The Legislature can make an important start by working through the DRIC issues so it can leverage that $550 million into millions more.

Then, it needs to apply a bit of that courage to other infrastructure needs.

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110201/OPINION01/102010308/1086/OPINION01