There is no preventing the Interstate 35W bridge collapse from turning political. It&8217;s the nature of democracy in the wake of a tragedy. People will want to know: Where does the fault lie?

Maintenance on the I-35W bridge was put off for years because of lack of funding. Perhaps more specific answers will come later, but fault at this point in the discussion lies with the people who failed to fund repairs.

Here is where to look:

– Congress and the Bush administration, for reducing federal funding for transportation. The federal government assists the states with the burden of maintaining highways. That funding has been cut not by the millions, not by the billions, but by the hundreds of billions. Year after year, too.

– Gov. Tim Pawlenty, for vetoing proposed gas taxes and transportation bills in 2005 and this year. Here in southern Minnesota, motorists know very well the rural highways are in disrepair. Even a route as important Interstate 90 is left bumpy and cracky. The Legislature &8212; whether led by Republicans or by Democrats &8212; twice tried to tell the governor the state needed to pay the bills. The governor vetoed both.

– Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, for not being an advocate for better transportation infrastructure. In an awkwardly dual role, Molnau leads the Minnesota Department of Transportation and is lieutenant governor. She knew the state&8217;s unmet transportation needs and yet favored limiting state spending on transportation. She opposed the gas taxes. Now the state taxpayers have a lot of catching up to do. In the interest of public trust, Molnau should remain lieutenant governor but step down as transportation commissioner. MnDOT now more than ever needs an advocate for a strong road system.

– Minnesotans, for being OK with the governor for rejecting gas taxes. After the 2005 veto, Pawlenty won re-election. After the veto this year, his public-approval rating didn&8217;t slip. With the high price of gas, everyone felt additional taxes on gas would be too much of a burden. In fact, a nickel or a dime per gallon would have been a drop in the bucket compared to the amount global demand on gasoline caused prices to shoot up.

The state&8217;s dialogue on infrastructure &8212; from the voters to the politicians &8212; changed when the bridge collapsed. Hopefully, so did the nation&8217;s dialogue.

With Albert Lea at the crossroads of I-35 and I-90 and with Freeborn County having more interstate miles than any other county in Minnesota outside the metropolitan area, this newspaper and this community clearly favor a strong transportation system. Not only is it in the region&8217;s best economic interest, it is the interest of safety for travelers.

Minnesota can&8217;t afford to procrastinate transportation funding anymore.