Wisconsin Highway Bonanza: Scott Walker Unfazed by Lack of Funds
Early last year we learned just how dire the financial situation was in Wisconsin. Scott Walker explained how his state couldn't afford to run more trains if the federal government paid for passenger rail upgrades. Wisconsin, he said, couldn't afford to collectively bargain with its employees.
Wisconsin's $1.7 billion "Zoo Interchange," one of the many reasons the state's highway fund is running dry. Photo: ##http://www.forconstructionpros.com/blog/10785423/major-road-rehab-project-in-milwaukee-will-utilize-concrete## Forconstructionpros.com##
But as we've reported extensively, Scott Walker is a big spender when to comes to highways — really big. So intent is he on building some $6.2 billion in freeways planned for southeast Wisconsin — including a $1.7 billion interchange just outside Milwaukee — that he appears to be undeterred by the fact that Wisconsin doesn't have anywhere near the money to do it.
James Rowen at Network blog The Political Environment explains how it could all turn into massive general fund subsidies for highways:
Scott Walker … opined on Monday in Wisconsin that he wants to keep all his major highway expansion projects on track — though the state transportation fund is over-committed and short of money — but doesn't want to raise the gas tax or create toll lanes to meet the shortfall.
He's sending signals to his transportation financing task force to find alternatives — other than rethinking the expansions altogether — like diverting auto sales or general purpose income taxes to subsidize road-building, or setting up a new, per-miles-driven fee, or an increase in vehicle registration or licensing fees.
So much for fiscal restraint, eh? The really bad news is, Walker already stripped Wisconsin's dedicated funding for transit. Now he seems to be opening the door to a situation where both his fantasy highway wish list and the state's woefully underfunded transit systems would compete for the same pot of money. Guess who would win?
Elsewhere on the Network today: The Architect's Newspaper reports there are some exciting changes coming for San Diego's waterfront. Rails to Trails shares the story of a New York State school that found a creative way to get more kids walking and biking — despite its car-centric surroundings. And Green City Blue Lake writes that it might be time to "ditch the cynicism" about northeast Ohio's regional planning process.
Filed Under: Streetsblog.net
Scott Walker's Own Party Rejects His Milwaukee Highway Boondoggle
By Tanya Snyder	| Jul 6, 2015
Governor Scott Walker might be too busy campaigning for president to care, but the Wisconsin legislature handed him a rebuke last week, rejecting his plans for debt-fueled highway expansion. The Republican-controlled legislature's Joint Finance Committee trimmed about 35 percent off Walker's proposed $1.3 billion in borrowing for highways. If approved by the Assembly and Senate — a big […]
Midwest Govs Go All Out to Raise More Money for Highways
By Angie Schmitt	| Feb 22, 2013
We've been watching how governors around the country are getting extra "creative" as they try to keep their transportation budgets solvent. Yesterday we witnessed an excise tax on bicycles floated in Washington State. But the award for the wildest funding scheme may go to renowned highway spender Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, who wants to […]
WisDOT Faces Civil Rights Suit Over $1.7 Billion "Zoo Interchange"
By Angie Schmitt	| Aug 17, 2012
In the politically polarized Milwaukee region, there are two widely divergent visions of what transportation should do. There's the Waukesha vision, which might be summarized as all highways, no transit. This suburban Republican stronghold — one of the most conservative counties in the country — has for years been systematically severing the already limited transit connections […]
Highway Expansion Rampant in Wisconsin, Which "Can't Afford" Rail
By Angie Schmitt	| Jan 11, 2011
Just a few months ago, a handful of governors made a big show of their "budget consciousness" by torpedoing passenger rail projects. Given that highway projects represent a much larger share of a state's spending, we might expect these fiscal watchdogs to be tamping down on road construction with equal fervor. That does not appear […]
Highway Expansion Rampant in Wisconsin, Which "Can't Afford" Rail
The Scandalously High Cost of Shortchanging Transit
You will remember that Wisconsin was the state that, according to Gov. Scott Walker, couldn't afford to operate an inter-city rail system, even with an $800 million federal start-up grant. But it turns out that having a transportation system based entirely on automobile travel isn't exactly cheap. Now, instead of reaping savings, Wisconsin is drowning […]