Contact: Pat Goss, Executive Director
Phone: 608-256-6891

MADISON,WI –Pat Goss, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, released the following statement in reaction to the Joint Finance Committee’s action on the transportation budget.

“The transportation budget passed last night by the Joint Finance Committee includes the first new revenue sources for transportation in more than a decade and the lowest level of bonding in recent years. Those are steps in the right direction.

“But this budget misses the opportunity to provide a reliable and sustainable long-term revenue source to meet the current transportation infrastructure needs in Wisconsin and does nothing to address the $1 billion shortfall in the Transportation Fund. This budget reduces funding for the State Highway Improvement Program by $245 million, or 9%, compared to the previous state budget. As a result of kicking the can down the road for at least another two years, businesses and the travelling public will see our state roads – already among the worst in the nation — continue to get worse.

“The link between transportation infrastructure investment and economic growth is well documented. It is ironic that transportation investment is one of the cornerstones of the deal to bring Foxconn Technology Group to Wisconsin. Yet, this budget represents a disinvestment in transportation for the rest of Wisconsin. Good transportation that promotes safety and economic growth requires local roads and state highways to work together as a network to move people and products both within and outside Wisconsin. This transportation budget moves the state in the wrong direction.”

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