It also provides $69.7 million more for maintenance and $65 million more for local governments and their roads.
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Speaking on WTMJ-AM Thursday, Walker rejected the notion from fellow Republican, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who said the Department of Transportation budget that delays a number of major projects does nothing more than “kick the can down the road for two years”.
The reconstruction of Milwaukee’s Zoo Interchange, expected to be complete by 2020, would not be fully finished until 2022.
The proposal also calls for no money to be put towards a $1.6 billion plan to rebuild I-94 between Milwaukee and the IL state line.
The plan would delay reconstruction of USA 18-151 (Verona Road) south of Madison by another two years.
Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday morning in Newville lays out a DOT road funding proposal that he says would include enough money to keep the I-90/39 project on schedule through 2019.
Work on Highway 15 in the Fox Valley would take another year to complete, wrapping up in 2022.
Highway 23 between Fond du Lac and Plymouth would be delayed for three more years. That project is already on hold due to litigation.
Along with the part of the proposal that Walker said would keep the I-90/39 project on track, the DOT would include enough funding to keep a major project on Highway 10/441 in the Fox Valley on its current pace through 2019. He plans to cover the projects without raising gas taxes.
“There’s still tens of millions of dollars from that particular project, that’s ultimately going to cost in excess of $1 billion, that could be scaled back”, Riemer said.
“Good roads and bridges are important to Wisconsin and our economy, and this budget proves you don’t have to raise taxes or fees to maintain a safe and strong transportation network”, the governor said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel.
Under the budget blueprint, no new taxes or fees will be used to make up the budget shortfall. On Wednesday, the governor’s office announced that Walker will unveil a transportation budget of almost a billion dollars during various stops around the state on Thursday.
The Governor will unveil his road funding proposals during a series of appearances around the state.
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Spokespeople for the Legislature’s budget-writing committee didn’t immediately respond to an email.
