Another Interstate Widening Urged In Sheer Political Move

Assembly Speaker Michael Sheridan (D-Janesville) wants to bypass what little depoliticized process there is and move a pet major highway project forward, even though the state doesn't have the $1 billion+ that his I-39/90 extension would require.

Probably part of his thinking: if Republicans take over the Assembly, or both houses of the legislature, their priorities would be different and the highway spending would occur elsewhere.

So why not go for it now?

We're probably getting closer to another round of vehicle registration and licensing fee increases, and toll roads, to pay for the highway budgets that legislative leaders covet.

Let's see how fast this posting sparks someone going off on rail projects.

After all, we can't have balanced transportation in this state, even though, as we have seen with the Zoo Interchange fiasco and that pothole down the street, spending on road repair and rebuilding and expansion is an endless, open checkbook.