HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell today called on the state Legislature to quickly enact a "supplemental debt authorization" of $240 million to jump start necessary improvements to ailing bridges, roads and flood-prone areas.

He said two recent transportation-related problems -- when part of the Birmingham Bridge in Pittsburgh fell 8 inches in February, and last week, when a major crack was discovered in a support pillar for Interstate 95 in Philadelphia -- highlighted what officials already know: Road and bridge problems are getting worse, and could endanger motorists. I-95, a heavily traveled highway in Philadelphia, had to be shut down for three days, greatly adding to motorists' headaches.

The $240 million in borrowed money "will enable us to quicken the pace of repairing critical components of our state infrastructure," the governor said in a letter sent today to all 253 legislators.

However, because of a reluctance by some Republican legislators to add to the state's borrowing, it may not be easy to get the $240 million measure enacted. Some GOP legislators have posters on their doors with pictures of young children and words reading "Let's Really Help the Kids -- No More Borrowing."

Most bond issues are for 20 or 30 years and the children of today will be left paying off the borrowed money.

Before considering any more bond issues, some legislators want to wait until discussions on the new 2008-09 state budget begin in earnest, probably by mid-June. The new fiscal year starts July 1.

Mr. Rendell didn't set a deadline on when the new bond issue should be approved but said it should be well before serious budget discussions.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.