Wisconsin Needs Solution to Road Construction/Repair Funding Gap
Wisconsin will need to find an additional funding source for road repairs and transportation spending or the quality of the state’s road system will decline, according to a new report.
According to Wisconsin Right Now, gas tax collections, which fund transportation spending, have progressively declined while the cost of road repair has increased significantly, according to Wisconsin Policy Forum.
“Either the state will have to forego spending and sacrifice road quality over time, or it will have to tap one of a few available funding sources such as the gas tax, vehicle fees, general tax dollars, mileage fees or local taxes and fees” the report finds.
The gas tax stopped being increased along with inflation after a 2005 law change and since then the state has used $2.6 billion of general funds between fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2025 on road work including $749.7 million in the 2023-25 biennial state budget.
