How much is the safety of drivers worth? That seems to be the question facing the State of Mississippi, as the Department of Finance announced Monday it would cut $18.3 million from road and bridge funds statewide.

As part of those cuts, Adams County alone will lose $180,000 in state aid funds. And southwest Mississippi as a whole could stand to lose much more, although figures weren’t available as of press time for other counties.

While the cuts will not affect current road and bridge projects planned for Adams County, it will effect the county’s ability to plan projects for subsequent years.

The county tries to plan road and bridge projects a year in advance so it can file applications for grant funds to help with the projects.

The cuts have left the county engineer and other officials at loose ends when it comes to planning such projects.

While we understand the state’s need to cut expenditures wherever it can in order to make ends meet, we question the decision to cut funds from such a needed program.

Surely there are other areas of state government &045;&045; or salaries, perhaps? &045;&045; that could be cut in order to spare such a needed program.

Question the need for additional state aid funds?

Ask the rural resident who, in order to get home, to work or to the school bus stop, has to drive over a bridge that’s decades old and in need of repair.

While county crews have been working to do as much as possible to repair local bridges and roads, they can only do what funds allow.

We encourage the state to rethink its funding priorities to put items such as social services &045;&045; and the safety of the public &045;&045; first.