, , , , , , , ,

Walker Repeats Push Against Separating Transportation Budget

Walker: If Roadwork Funding Discussed Independently From State Budget, Major Projects May Be Delayed

By
Interchange between highway 10 and 441 in the Fox Valley
Patty Murray/WPR

Beneath a bypass under construction in the Fox Valley on Thursday, Gov. Scott Walker repeated push back against lawmakers’ proposal to separate transportation funding from the larger state budget.

He spoke to reporters in Neenah near the $490 million Highway 10-441 interchange reconstruction project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2020. It is one of several major projects in Walker’s proposed state budget, which he he calls “majors.”

Walker said similar projects could be delayed if the state Legislature postpones the transportation budget.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“If the transportation budget was broken outside of the state budget, and if somehow there was a significant delay or if the ultimate resolution was to not do anything, that would mean a 45 percent reduction to money for the majors,” Walker said.

Walker’s proposal depends on bonding for road projects without increases in fuel or vehicle taxes. At the press conference Thursday, Walker repeated his opposition to increasing the gas tax or vehicle registration fees to pay for road projects. Opponents, including some Republican leadership, are open to the idea of raising taxes or fees.

Walker’s stance on transportation puts him at odds with some fellow Republicans, including Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke.

Steineke, of Kaukana, said he’s willing to hold up the transportation portion of the budget if it means the rest of state spending will be decided upon.

“We don’t want to hold up funding for schools and municipalities and everything else,” Steineke said. “So if we can’t come to an agreement on transportation, that’s going to have to be an option that we look at to make sure the rest of the budget can go forward.”

But Steinke said he hopes the disagreement will be put aside before the budget deadline in June. However, Steineke added, Walker’s plans to increase bonding for roads will increase the state’s debt over time. In 2011, the state was paying 10 cents on the dollar in debt for the transportation fund, Steineke said.

“We’re now at 20 cents on the dollar going to debt, and with the governor’s proposal we would be up to 23 cents on the dollar,” Steineke said.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has ruled the debt to be unsustainable, Steineke said.

Steineke said there’s a $1 billion gap in the state’s transportation fund, which means there’s less revenue going into the fund than is needed to complete major projects.

Steineke said he is open to exploring increased gas taxes, vehicle registration fees and tolls on Wisconsin’s interstates. Tolls would have to get approval from the federal government.