Save The Hoan, Then Don't Moan At The Cost

Southsiders and suburbanites are saying "Save The Hoan," even though they haven't seen the rebuilding cost yet.

The Sixth Street Bridge replacement cost something like $50 million. Should Wisconsin taxpayers foot the bill if rebuilding the Hoan were, say, double that? Or more?

The federal highway trust fund will run out of money by the end of the year, and given the way federal dollars are flowing to Iraq and Wall Street, and gas tax revenues are falling along with driving, we shouldn't expect big new dollars to pour into Wisconsin to rebuild an over-engineered bridge if there are less-expensive, more development-friendly alternatives.