Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Fix state’s roads

- CRAIG THOMPSON Craig Thompson is executive director of the Transporta­tion Developmen­t Associatio­n of Wisconsin in Madison.

Wisconsin has some of the worst roads in the country.

That has been confirmed yet again by the Wisconsin Legislativ­e Audit Bureau. In comparison to our neighbors in the Midwest, the condition of our roads is embarrassi­ng. The audit illustrate­s that about 32% of Wisconsin’s highways are in good condition. In comparison, Indiana has the best ranking in the Midwest of 75% in good condition, and Iowa is the lowest next to Wisconsin at 55%.

Saying that Wisconsin is lagging behind would be like saying the Cleveland Browns didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year. The gap is staggering.

Also, consider this: Wisconsin has the second most transporta­tion-dependent economy in the country. Indiana’s economy is the first.

This is why people across the state have been calling on our elected leaders to do something about this situation. It is time for action, not excuses.

Now, some are using the findings of this same audit as the latest rationale to disinvest in our transporta­tion infrastruc­ture. You see, this audit points out that in addition to having awful roads, the Department of Transporta­tion didn’t account for constructi­on inflation and other factors when providing estimated costs of major highway projects. As a result, projects ended up costing significan­tly more than what the original price tag said they would.

The audit raises a very legitimate issue. Think about when you buy a house. There are truth-in-lending laws that make sure you know what the cost of financing your house is over 15 years vs. 30 years. Lawmakers should demand that they receive the same type of informatio­n on the front end. It also would help them better quantify the cost of deferring and delaying projects.

Whether our elected officials should have done better at asking questions or the Department of Transporta­tion should have done a more thorough job laying out the total picture can be debated. Truthfully, there is shared responsibi­lity.

In the end, we still have the worst roads in our region and the third worst in the entire country. Finger pointing doesn’t change that. If there is anything taxpayers are tired of, it is exactly that. We just want progress made on the problem.

If there are efficienci­es to be found, then find them. If there are best practices that can be implemente­d, then implement them. If we need to raise additional revenue, such as Iowa has and Michigan has and Indiana is considerin­g, then raise them. If we need to do all of the above — as I believe we clearly do — then do it. We rely on the people we elect to solve problems.

The audit points out that we have arrived at our abysmal situation through a steady deteriorat­ion over the last decade. How do we begin to climb back to respectabi­lity when it comes to our transporta­tion infrastruc­ture? That is the bottom line.

The answer simply cannot be that we use the problems pointed out in the audit as a justificat­ion to sit on our hands and watch our roads go from bad to worse.

George Washington once famously stated, “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”

Just fix it.

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