Cities can’t afford their roads anymore

It’s fair to say we’re now fully into spring, but we still see — and feel — the consequences of winter when we travel down our roads. Pot holes are bumpy roads are easy targets for ever-critical citizens; they’re not wrong to notice them — the potholes are real.

But what’s the root cause of this and is the problem getting worse? For towns across our region, the problems are getting worse. And the root cause — lack of funding. Roads are expensive to maintain, but our capacity for the taxes required to keep them smooth has diminished.

Bob Collins writing for MPR has the Minnesota angle on a problem we’re no doubt feeling in North Dakota.