There are a lot of reasons to cast your ballot in favor of Question 1 on the June 10 ballot:

• The potholes that turn driving the state's roads into a bone-shaking, axle-challenging, dangerous game of slalom;

• The rust and structural deterioration plaguing the state's bridges and highways;

• The rising cost of raw materials for road and bridge construction;

• The growing problem of obesity and poor fitness among both children and adults.

Question 1 is a bond to authorize the state to borrow $29.7 million. Of that total amount, $23 million will be spent on transportation projects. If voters pass the bond, it will bring Maine another $29.7 million in funds.

With that kind of money in hand, the state plans to fix potholes, rehabilitate bridges, repair highways, buy new buses for public transportation, upgrade passenger and freight rail service, build pedestrian and bicycle trails as well as increase safety on those trails for children going to school. A smaller portion of the bond, $4.4 million, would pay to fix failed septic systems, clean up hazardous waste, monitor air quality, rehabilitate fish hatcheries and repair state-owned dams.

We know more than a few people who vote against bonds as a matter of principle. Some of them don't like the state to borrow money. Others have a knee- jerk response against paying for more road projects, seeing them as a waste of money.

Those arguments don't hold water.

First, the state is well within the Wall Street- recommended ratio of debt-service-to-revenue of 5 percent. And Maine, unlike many states, pays back its bonds in 10 years, where other states take 15, 20 and even 30 years to pay them off.

Second, failing to repair our transportation infrastructure is penny-wise and pound-foolish. It will save us from spending right now, but the costs of road and bridge construction are rising due to large increases in the cost of raw materials and it will only cost taxpayers more to do it in the future. Furthermore, at a time of economic sluggishness in the state, the $50 million in spending authorized by the bond will create jobs and stimulate economic activity.

Third, our state's businesses need a top-notch transportation system to move their goods around. Crumbling roads that damage vehicles, unsafe bridges that force long detours, a rail system that doesn't go where business needs it to go -- all force higher costs on businesses that are often at a competitive disadvantage in their Maine location.

Fourth, the investment in public transportation will help offset the economically crippling rise in fuel prices. It won't be nearly enough to get Maine out of its cars and trucks in the near future, but we must continue and accelerate the pace of investment in both rail and mass transit systems.

The non-transportation projects to be funded by the bond are essential projects aimed at cleaning up sources of pollution, from septic systems that leak to state hatcheries that have been fouling nearby rivers and streams for decades.

And finally, getting more Mainers to walk and bike to school, work or just for fun and recreation can only help stem the ever-increasing cost of health care.

So remember: The June ballot isn't just about choosing candidates. It's about taking care of the state's business, paying attention to the entirely unromantic but utterly essential things that provide the structure on which we all build our lives. We urge you to vote in favor of Question 1 on Tuesday.