9/15/2016, NBC Madison (video) – On Thursday, Governor Scott Walker talked about his proposal for the transportation budget. He says his proposal will help make up for the shortcomings in the budget. Governor Walker says he does not want to raise any taxes to make up for that deficit. Instead, he wants to focus on two big construction projects in the state. He says projects in Edgerton and Fox Valley need maintenance or safety updates. He wants to focus on those projects first.
“It’s tricky, you know, you have to be careful,” said Joele O’Toole, Jung Garden Center manager.
If you’re driving on Verona Road, it’s hard to avoid all the construction.
“It takes a pretty strong business to survive this kind of thing. It’s very dependent on its customers to hang in there with us,” said Craig Kuenning, Quivey’s Grove Co-Owner.
Kuenning says the Verona Road construction project has taken a toll on his business.
“It’s very disheartening to see a very long construction project would be extended another two years,” said Kuenning.
Kuenning says something had to be done to help with the congestion on Verona Road.
But, if the state didn’t have funding they should have looked into other options.
“I think they could have studied it a whole lot closer to see what adjustments they could have made at a better cost/value relationship and got the same thing done,” said Kuenning.
Kuenning is one of more than 100 businesses in the Verona Road Business Coalition.
Cindy Jaggi. a spokesperson with the coalition says “We urge the state to find a path to financing the Verona Road project so that there are no delays in the construction”.
According to a study contracted out by the coalition.
It says if the state delays the Verona Road construction longer it would impact businesses by about $16 million and impact 152 jobs annually.
To help the Verona Road Business Coalition click
here.