Wisconsin’s roadways are among the worst in the nation and
continue to deteriorate each year. According to the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Wisconsin roads are ranked the third worst in
the nation with 71% of its roads considered to be in poor condition.
The primary reason behind Wisconsin’s lack of quality in our
roadways? Recent state budget cuts.
This comes as no surprise to Curtis Dassow, a seasonal
maintenance employee at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, who recently paid a
hefty bill to get his suspension fixed after hitting some potholes. “It’s
really just sad, to be honest with you. Our state refuses to fix the roads and
as a result, I end up paying more for it . . . quite literally.”
Ashley Wandsnider, a consumer analyst at Georgia Pacific,
commutes a total of 40 miles each day on Wisconsin’s roads. “We have so many
nice things here in Wisconsin, but our roadways, unfortunately, are just not
one of them. It’s a shame that we cannot enjoy our roads the way other states
do. Instead I end up swerving at the last second to avoid hidden potholes.”
According to the Transportation
Investment Coalition, many of Wisconsin’s roads and bridges were built in
the 1960-70s, which means their life cycles are coming to end and results in
extensive rehabilitation or reconstruction.
They estimate that “a major highway project has a total cost
of more than $80 million.”
Megan Letourneau, a student at the University of Wisconsin
Green Bay, has to drive her car to local bike trails in order to have a decent
ride. “I usually have to drive nine or ten miles to find a place with decent
roads that I can actually ride my bike on. Otherwise, it’s an unbearably bumpy
ride.”
