Citing a report by the American Road & Transportation Building Association, Sen. Claire McCaskill has joined concerned Missourians and weighed in on the bridge crisis in the state. She said Missouri ranks fourth among all 50 states for the number of structurally deficient bridges.“Our roads and bridges are crumbling and it’s time we fix them,” Sen. McCaskill said. Amen!The senator added that President Donald Trump was clear in his campaign that rebuilding the country’s infrastructure was a top priority.“I stand ready and willing to work with him to achieve that goal,” Sen. McCaskill said.According to the report, of the 24,468 bridges in Missouri, 3,195 are classified as structurally deficient, and 2,987 of which are classified as functionally obsolete. These deficient bridges carry millions of passengers every day. The report is not news to Missourians, especially those people in outstate Missouri who are well aware of the problem.But none of our elected officials will stand up and take the lead in doing something about it. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), under the rules it operates under, cannot take the lead. Sen. McCaskill said she hopes to see “some kind of commitment from Gov. Eric Greitens and leaders in Jefferson City.” How about it, Gov. Greitens, do you have a plan to improve our roads and bridges?State Sen., Dave Schatz, Sullivan, has tried to do something to solve the problem. He wasn’t afraid to stick his neck out by favoring a gasoline tax increase to provide more revenue for MoDOT.Sen. McCaskill has worked in Congress for legislation to provide more federal funds to states to help them improve their roads and bridges. In 2015, she helped craft a bipartisan bill that provides five years of funding certainty for states for improving roads and bridges. Missouri will receive more than $5 billion over five years to fund road and bridge improvements.Missouri has 33,702 miles of highways, making it the seventh largest state system, with more miles than Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas combined. Missouri has more bridges longer than 1,000 feet than any other state. We are pleased and grateful that the state has provided enough funding for the new Highway 47 bridge over the Missouri River. The old bridge is 80 years old.We need a combined state and federal government plan to provide more funds for states. The leadership is lacking. It is encouraging to see Sen. McCaskill’s support in this endeavor.