FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 3, 2017
Contact: Rep. Considine, (608) 266-7746, Rep. Wachs, (608) 266-7461

BARABOO, EAU CLAIRE – Earlier this week, the state Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced its decision to officially end the I-39/90/94 (Madison-Portage) corridor study that began in 2014. Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo) and Rep. Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire) issued the following statements in response:

“While I’m against tearing up rich agricultural and environmental land in the Portage area, this was an important study that could have a profound impact on our crumbling roads, infrastructure that is essential for our economy,” Rep. Considine said. “We also need to ask what else might have led us here. ‘Reprioritizing’ transportation projects, as WisDOT calls it, shows me that we need to be more creative and responsible with our money, and not only with this type of project. Our local communities like Baraboo are struggling to pick up the slack when the state can’t afford to maintain the roads we already have. This shouldn’t have to happen at any level, and it’s time we work together on a sustainable funding solution for our roads.”

Rep. Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire), the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Committee on Transportation and a member of the State Building Commission, expressed concern over the consequences of budget decisions by Legislative Republicans and Governor Walker. “Ending this study is yet another example of short-sighted budgeting by Governor Walker and the legislative republicans. Our roads are getting worse by the day and now Governor Walker proposes burying our heads in the gravel which used to be paved roads. This stretch of road from Madison to the Wisconsin Dells is heavily traveled and congested. We need to study the traffic flows in this area for both commerce and safety reasons.”

Rep. Considine serves the 81st Assembly District, which includes portions of Sauk, Columbia, Dane, and Iowa counties. Rep. Wachs represents the city of Eau Claire in the 91st Assembly District.

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