2008 Republican Convention Partly to Blame for 35W Bridge Disaster in Minneapolis?

There has been a lot of road construction in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas this summer. A lot. So much, in fact, that early reports indicate it may have played a significant role in the bridge collapse on I-35W late yesterday. It doesn’t take a savant to figure out why the state of Minnesota seems so hell-bent on cramming what may well amount to years of construction into several months. The answer: the Republican National Convention slated for early September, 2008.

Even with St. Paul’s Xcel Center selected as the site of the gathering, observers expect tens of thousands of supporters to rally and possibly over a million opponents. In other words, vast swaths of people such as Minneapolis and St. Paul haven’t known for a very long time, if ever. That means both businesses and party hacks sure to profit from the event are putting pressure on construction crews to conform to a tight deadline, albeit mostly behind the scenes thus far.

It is true more details highlighting the bridge’s failure will be known soon enough. Yet, can’t we at least glean from this catastrophe some broader questions about the effects of this coming political stampede upon the two cities? It is the political parties, after all, at the root of this thing, and they form a reasonable place to start. Traditionally, both parties have used large, affluent, and secure centers like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Now, with the Democrats in Denver and the GOP in the Twin Cities, it’s clear the two parties have selected smaller locales for their campaigns in an attempt to appeal to new audiences and swing borderline states to their side. However, I have yet to see a serious analysis of the potential hardships their self-invitations pose to smaller cities. And, as this bridge disaster illustrates, they may be quite inconspicuous, but deadly.

Amid the mass of politics and its satellite finances whirling about (or, quite easily, vice-versa), it is the local taxpayer and citizen left in the dust. We have little say in the selection of convention sites and their preparation, but flip most of the bill. This harsh reality is sure to be doubly so for smaller cities like St. Paul and Denver, which have less money, less security, less space, and less experience than their larger neighbors. Now, lives have been lost, a fairly sizable project awaits cleanup and reconstruction, and life will continue to be made difficult for residents by the enduring preparations for the convention.

Only time will tell how stringently the finger may be pointed at the GOP and any underhanded political pressure on road crews. Although in parting, their tendency the last few years to slash funds for infrastructure at all levels of government is well worth remembering; if not for illuminating responsibility, then for putting the broader issue of financing infrastructure back on the table for discussion next year.

-Namtlieu