Fixing the damn roads.
Fixing the damn roads.
It’s the promise I made to Wisconsinites in 2018 when I first ran to be governor of our great state.
For far too long, Wisconsin’s roads and bridges have been underfunded and deprioritized. From potholes on the highway to crumbling bridges, our roads have put drivers at risk, jeopardized public safety, and hurt our economic growth.
Connecting communities with good roads should be common sense, but for some reason transportation was ignored for years until I took office. But that’s not going to happen again under my watch. Since I first took office, I’ve prioritized fixing our roads and establishing Wisconsin as the premier transportation state in the Midwest. Whether driving, taking public transportation, or biking to work, I want Wisconsinites to be able to take pride in our state and its roads. When visitors cross over into Wisconsin on their way to see our top-notch tourist destinations, I hope they’re able to exclaim how good Wisconsin’s roads are.
Already we’re delivering results: During my first term, we’ve already improved more than 1,700 miles of highways and nearly 1,300 bridges.
1,700 miles is a lot of road. To put it into perspective, if you put all of our repaired highways together, you’d be able to drive from Wausau all the way to Las Vegas on a smooth, pothole-free roadway. But whether it’s driving to the Wisconsin Dells for a getaway, to Green Bay for a Packers game, or a long weekend in the Northwoods, these more than 1,700 miles of improved highways are powering our state and keeping folks safe.
Not only are we improving our roads — I’m making sure our construction projects are moving forward on-time and on-budget. During the 2020 construction season, we kept all 375 road improvement projects moving forward on-time — which kept workers on the job and protected taxpayers from unnecessary costs.
In our latest bipartisan budget, we directed more than $100 million to local road improvement — a two percent increase. From county roads to the street outside your grocery store, we’re working everyday to make sure roads are safe and giving local counties and municipalities the tools they’ve desperately needed for a decade.
Folks, I’m proud to say that I’m following through on my promise to fix the damn roads, and the hard work is paying off. In 2020, more than 97 percent of Wisconsin’s bridges were rated in fair or better condition. In 2021, Wisconsin’s roads were named the 8th best in the nation by a national study.
Now, I know that there are still a lot of roads left to fix, potholes to fill, and bridges to rebuild. Not every road has seen improvement, but growing up here in the Badger State, I learned to keep my eye on the finish line and never give up.
There is still a lot of work left to be done, but the progress we’ve made so far is incredible.
Better roads means safer communities for our kids and new opportunities for economic growth.
Better roads means Wisconsinites have to spend less money on car repairs and are able to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks.
Better roads means more bus service and public transportation so that folks can get around town easily.
We’ve accomplished a lot so far, but the road is long, and I’m going to keep working to fix the damn roads and ensure Wisconsin becomes the best state in the nation to get around.
Tony Evers is the Governor of the State of Wisconsin. Learn more about him and his plans for the state at www.TonyEvers.com