With polls showing 70% support for a constitutional amendment creating a department of transportation and ensuring that taxes paid by motor-vehicle users are spent on transportation*, passage appears certain. But what will that mean for the future of transportation in Wisconsin?
WISDOT could rule with a concrete fist.
A shining example of WISDOTs current position toward prioritizing highway maintenance and alternative transportation is on full display right now in La Crosse. WISDOT is already on record proposing a new highway through La Crosse River marsh and core neighborhoods that voters have rejected. But that isn’t stopping WISDOT from insisting it be given full authority to dictate what gets built – otherwise, it is threatening to pull the plug on a $140 million transportation earmark.
The City council in La Crosse, in adopting a resolution stating support for a WISDOT study, included a requirement that the plan focus on “repairing and improving existing roadways, enhancing transit services and constructing new and expanded bicycle and pedestrian facilities instead of constructing a new roadway through the La Crosse River Marsh.” Jeff Gust, Southwest Region planning chief for the DOT implied such a resolution was weak. Imagine how much more truculent WISDOT staff will be once the voters grant them constitutional status in overwhelming numbers!
Easy passage of a “common sense” amendment as the TDA is currently pitching it could easily be sold on November 5th as a mandate for granting absolute privilege to a premium driving experience for those who pay gas taxes above the “wants” of everyone else. State Senator Jennifer Schilling is essentially doing the same thing by citing the $680 million “shortfall” in transportation as a reason for the City Council in La Crosse to buckle.
WISDOT has been equally hard-nosed by refusing to meet with those opposed to the I94 expansion plans, which the Milwaukee City Council is on record opposing. There is a clear pattern of repressive behavior on display at WISDOT – but the media are too focused on the horse race for the post of Governor to inform the voters of what this constitutional amendment is likely to bring about. Is there is still time to bring this to the attention of voters?
* Transportation is defined by Assembly Leader Robin Vos to not include Transit or The State Patrol.
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