Wisconsin Communities Looks For More Road Repair Funding

Local officials say that it’s been a really bad year for potholes, and a group representing cities and villages wants Gov. Scott Walker and lawmakers to provide extra help for road repairs.

Racine Mayor John Dickert says a survey by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities shows 21 cities are $5 million over budget because of plowing, broken water pipes and potholes. He expects that amount will rise as more cities calculate damage.

“This was a catastrophic winter ,” said Dickert. “We had highways in Racine County that had to be driven at 25 miles per hour, they were so bad. We’ve got potholes and road damage we have never seen.”

Local officials who are part of the Urban Alliance are asking state lawmakers and the governor for a one-time boost in funding. Dickert says this could be done either by using the remaining state surplus or by asking the federal government for emergency funds.

“If we can find $18 million in total damage assessed on the state due to the significance of this winter, we believe we can apply for the (Federal Emergency Management Agency) funding,” said Dickert. “The further north you go the worse the damage is because of the frost line.“

Dickert says they’d be willing to contract for the repair work.

“Candidly, our workers are so loaded up with the current potholes they’re doing, we don’t even have employees to do the additional work,” said Dickert.

When asked earlier this week about extra road repair dollars, Walker said local governments got a 4 percent increase in transportation funds last year. Dickert says that wasn’t a substantial increase, and that it basically covered inflation.