State Rep. Warren Petryk

Spring is always a wonderful time of the year as the tulips emerge from the ground and the snow starts to melt. Besides tulips, another “flower” is starting to show itself as well, the wild orange construction zone cone. This flower, which is about 3 feet tall, reflective, and is often times seen in large groups can be found on Wisconsin's state highways and roads through the spring, summer, and fall, and is a precursor that repairs are on the way.

This session, you the constituents, stated that maintaining our neighborhood's roads and bridges should be the state's top priority in my most recent spring survey. That is why I voted in favor of allocating an additional $1.5 billion this session to fund road repairs. Legislative Democrats opposed the budget that the Republican-controlled Legislature passed and Gov. Evers signed into law, which made this additional funding possible. By passing these critical infrastructure investments, people in our state will be able to get to work and back home, farmers will be able to transport their produce to neighborhood grocery stores, and visitors will still be able to visit our incredible state.

Additionally, a significant component of the transportation package was to increase direct funding to our local governments. The governor's initial request for funding for the state's local road improvement program was significantly increased to an additional $285 million thanks to the legislature. Furthermore, the agricultural road improvement program, a new initiative, was developed with the express purpose of focusing on repairing our agricultural roads, which span a large portion of western Wisconsin. With these investments our local governments will have access to a dedicated funding source to maintain and upgrade the local roads that our farmers and agricultural producers depend on to transport their products from the fields to our kitchen tables.

Moreover, the legislature was smart about how we will pay for these increased investments and how they will be financed over time. By increasing the amount we pay for roads now with cash, we were able to borrow $88 million less than the governor had suggested. This prudent financial decision will lessen the strain of future borrowing and interest payments in budgets and investments, all without raising the gas tax, as the governor had previously suggested in the past.

And as these roads are being constructed and repaired, please put down your phone, and avoid distractions when driving on our roads, particularly in construction zones. We need to do our part to keep our friends and neighbors safe while these experts work to maintain the safety of our roads.  For an up-to-date list of future road construction projects and real-time traffic data you can also always check 511 WI.com. Happy and safe travels!