WISPIRG to Wisconsin Public Officials on Recovery Spending: Stop Neglecting Transportation Priorities

Media Contacts

New Report Identifies 20 Ways to Create More Jobs Quickly & Responsibly

WISPIRG

[Madison, WI] — As Governor Doyle, state and local officials, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation prepare lists of transportation projects to be funded under the stimulus, WISPIRG today released a report showing the many ways the money can be used to address Wisconsinites’ transportation priorities and get the biggest bang for the buck.

While early news reports indicated most of the money was designated for highway construction, the reality, as this report makes clear, is that Wisconsin has wide latitude to apply the funds to meet growing transit demand, restore our roads and bridges, and maximize the number of jobs created.

Wisconsin will receive $529 million in flexible funding for transportation spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama last month.  Wisconsin is just beginning to obligate transportation stimulus dollars in the state.

“The future of transportation, energy security, and the environment depends on the choices we make today,” said State Representative Tamara Grigsby, a member of the Joint Finance Committee. “These stimulus funds provide us with a unique opportunity to do what’s right for Wisconsin. With this funding, we must go above and beyond the construction of new roads and bridges. Now is the time to take prudent steps toward improving Wisconsin’s existing infrastructure and increasing the quality and scope of public transit.”

According to a poll released in January by the National Association of Realtors, an overwhelming 80 percent of Americans believe it is more important that the stimulus funding include efforts to repair existing highways and public transit rather than to build new highways. The poll clearly shows that the vast majority of Americans believe restoring existing roads and bridges and expanding transportation options should take precedence over building new roads. Repair projects have also been shown to create 16% more jobs, and to do so faster, than those that build new highway capacity.

“We can both create jobs fast and invest in a transportation system that will help us reduce our dependence on oil and save commuters time and money,” said Bruce Speight of WISPIRG.  “The old excuses for neglecting our genuine transportation priorities no longer apply. It’s time to stop offering mid-20th century solutions and start solving 21st century problems.”

The report, Spending the Stimulus, lays out 20 ways that officials in Wisconsin can and should spend the federal funding on ready-to-go projects that will address long-neglected transportation priorities while providing speedy and robust job creation and economic recovery in Wisconsin.

Some high-priority, job creating project types identified in the report include investments that:

* Repair roads, bridges, transit facilities, buses, rail tracks and stations
   
* Build complete streets that help everyone get around; support cars, buses, bikes and pedestrians; and expand safe routes to school
  
* Support public transportation to meet increased demand   
   
* Ease road congestion by providing more routing choices and diffusing traffic
   
* Support efforts to plan and coordinate transportation and development

Some specific examples of ready to go projects that will create the right jobs for Wisconsin include:

Viroqua-LaFarge project on STH 82, Vernon Co. – Deck Replacement and Overlay

Rock Freeway project on I-43, Walworth Co. – Bridge Rehabilitation

Buses for Transit Systems, Statewide – Capital for Buses, van pool vehicles, ADA buses/vans, paratransit

5 Bikes Trails in Janesville, Rock Co – Construction and extensions

University Ave. Reconstruction, Dane Co – Reconstruction with Bike Lanes

Other examples can be found in the Appendix to the full report.

“The state’s project lists have not prioritized fixing our state’s crumbling roads and bridges,” said Bruce Speight of WISPIRG.  “This report shows there are plenty of smart, ready-to-go investments that qualify for stimulus funding. It’s a matter of knowing where to look and having the political will to do so.”

Repair projects generate more jobs, faster, than new construction because more of the money goes to wages rather than to buying land for new highways. Repair projects also save money:  they save drivers money today on what they would otherwise be spending tomorrow to repair damage to their cars from potholes; and they save the DOT money on major repairs down the road which won’t be necessary because regular maintenance will have been done.

“By failing to look at all the ways Wisconsin can spend this money to improve our transportation infrastructure, Governor Doyle is producing an over-reliance on new roads and insufficient focus on taking care of existing roads, bridges and public transportation,” continued Speight. “You don’t put an addition on the house when the roof is falling in.”

The project list misses Wisconsin’s problems in part because the Wisconsin DOT is not telling us what criteria they are using for choosing projects, nor is it being accurate about how the stimulus money is allowed to be spent.

“There are three real problems here,” concluded Speight. “The first problem is that citizens are not being told how the money may actually be spent. The second is that as a result, we aren’t looking at all the projects that we know produce lots of jobs quickly. The third is that, as a result, we aren’t looking at all the projects that will save everyone money.”