3/9/2016, Sun Prairie Star – The headline does not refer to the make-believe world of the children’s TV clay-mation character Bob The Builder, but instead a new campaign by the Transportation Development Association (TDA) of Wisconsin.
The campaign is called “Just Fix It,” and it refers to the TDA’s attempt to get not only taxpayers in Wisconsin, but also legislators to pay attention to an issue long past due: Wisconsin’s aging system of roads and highways.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told an audience in Racine that he was his “single biggest disappointment” during the session — the lack of funding for Wisconsin’s transportation system.
The state budget adopted last year included $500 million in borrowing for roads, with an additional $350 million approved in November, but nowhere near the amount needed.
Unless all levels of government are willing to clench their teeth and stomach a tax increase, major infrastructure needs will go unfunded. Consider Monroe County, where Highway Commissioner Jack Dittmar recently told The Tomah Journal that $90 million worth of backlogged maintenance exists in his department alone.
Multiply that by 72 counties, and pretty soon, to paraphrase an old Washington adage, it adds up to real money.
What can you do? Check out the action subhead below, or log on to https://tdawisconsin.org/just-fix-it-wisconsin/ and fill in the form urging legislators to take action now.
What you can do
- Text JustFixItWI to 52886 or visit www.tdawisconsin.org to sign up for action alerts. Once a month, TDA will generate a message for elected officials. In no more than a minute, you can send an email, tweet or Facebook post to let them know transportation is important to you and your community.
- Join the conversation by posting pictures of the roads in your community that you’d like to see receive some TLC or other transportation challenges. If your community has benefited from transportation investment, share that too. Make sure to include the hash tag #JustFixItWI.