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Transportation secretary calls for bipartisan effort to rebuild roads and bridges

Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in Minneapolis on July 22, 2013 (MPR Photo/Mark Zdechlik)
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in Minneapolis on July 22, 2013 (MPR Photo/Mark Zdechlik)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx visited the site of the I-35W bridge collapse Monday to underscore the importance of maintaining the nation's roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar gave Foxx a brief tour of the new bridge site. The two then spoke briefly with reporters at the base of bridge. Foxx, who was confirmed by a unanimous Senate vote late last month, called for bipartisan support for transportation initiatives.

"We're standing in front of an example of what this country can do when people come together," he said, "and it's in everyone's interest as a country that we focus on the state of good repair of our nation's infrastructure. It's critical. It's not only a matter of dollars and cents, it's a matter of lives."

Despite congressional gridlock, Foxx said he's optimistic Washington will be able agree on a plan not only to repair existing infrastructure but also to move ahead with new projects.

Foxx was mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina from 2009 to 2013.