This is What Pledge Politics Looks Like

Today in the Concord Monitor:

The Sewalls Falls Bridge will close earlier than expected, but its replacement could be delayed.

The Concord City Council voted in March to tear down the nearly 100-year-old bridge and build a new one in its place. The bridge was scheduled to close when construction began in the spring. Based on the bridge’s poor condition, city officials have recommended shutting it down Dec. 1.

“It looks like (the Sewalls Falls Bridge) would not survive us maintaining it in the winter,” City Manager Tom Aspell said.

Federal dollars are supposed to pay for 80 percent of the $10 million project, but the $8 million promised to Concord hasn’t shown up yet. As the federal government struggles to find money for highway projects, City Engineer Ed Roberge has reported the dollars for the Sewalls Falls Bridge won’t be available until at least the start of the next federal fiscal year in October.

Concord is the capitol of NH, the first in the nation primary state. 

This is what pledge politics looks like when they're played out on both the state and the federal level.