The 2005 highway bill might best be remembered for the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.” But also included in the legislation were 6,300 other earmarks that totaled $24.2 billion.

Minnesota, site of the heart-breaking I-35W bridge collapse, received 147 earmarks, which totaled about $495 million, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. They included “high priority” projects such as $1.578 million for bicycle trail construction, $1.3 million for a new visitor’s center, and $1.52 for streetscape construction.

I couldn’t find any earmarks related to the I-35W bridge. (There was $7.6 million appropriated for on-ramps to I-35W, but not near the bridge.)

There’s no way of knowing whether extra money for the bridge would have prevented its collapse. But it’s certainly worth asking if House Transportation Chairman Jim Oberstar of Minnesota should have been less concerned about taking care of bicyclists and put a higher priority on the state’s other transportation needs.

UPDATE — August 9, 5:28 p.m.: A complete list of all 6,306 earmarks is now available from the Office of Management and Budget.