WISCONSIN COULD SEE AN INFUSION
OF FEDERAL DOLLARS TO HELP FIX
HIGHWAYS, ROADS AND BRIDGES.
ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY
ADMINISTRATION, NEARLY 1,000
BRIDGES IN WISCONSIN ARE
STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT AND MORE
THAN A THIRD OF ROADS IN THE
STATE ARE IN FAIR OR POOR
CONDITION.
THE $1 TRILLION BIPARTISAN
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL INTRODUCED
IN THE U.S. SENATE THIS WEEK
WOULD SEND SOME $5.5 BILLION TO
WISCONSIN FOR HIGHWAY AND BRIDGE
PROJECTS.
WISCONSIN SECRETARY-DESIGNEE OF
TRANSPORTATION, CRAIG THOMPSON,
JOINS US TO DESCRIBE WHERE THIS
MONEY WOULD BE AIMED.
AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME,
FREDERICA.
>> FIRST OF ALL, HOW DID WE GET
TO THE PLACE WHERE A THIRD OF
OUR ROADS ARE IN SUCH CONDITION,
AND NEARLY A THOUSAND BRIDGES
ARE STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT?
>> WELL, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL
DECADES, AS OUR INFRASTRUCTURE
HAS AGED, IN WISCONSIN AND MOST
STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE
NOT KEPT UP IN THE INVESTMENT
WE'VE NEEDED AND IT REALLY
COMPOUNDS UPON ITSELF AND THAT'S
HOW WE'VE ARRIVED AT WHERE WE'VE
GOTTEN TO, WHERE WE'VE GOT SO
MANY BRIDGES AND SO MANY ROADS
AND PORTS AND OTHERS THAT ARE
REALLY AGING IN DISREPAIR.
>> SO MOST REMEMBER THE I-35
BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN THE TWIN
CITIES.
THERE ARE 10 URBAN INTERSTATE
BRIDGES IN WISCONSIN MARKED AS
DEFICIENT.
ARE THEY IN DANGER OF THAT KIND
OF THING, OR WHAT DOES THAT
DESIGNATION MEAN?
>> NO.
STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT IS A
DESIGNATION BY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, AND IT MEANS
SOMETHING TO ENGINEERS AND IT'S
CONCERNING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK
AT IT, BUT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE
CONCERNED, IF WE GO OUT AND
INSPECT THE BRIDGES ALL OF THE
TIME AS DOES THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY
ADMINISTRATION AND IF WE HAVE
ANY CONCERNS, WE WILL
WEIGHT-RESTRICT THE BRIDGE OR WE
WILL CLOSE IF WE HAVE ANY
CONCERNS THAT THERE COULD BE
HARM.
>> SO HOW FAR WOULD THESE
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS GO TO
REPAIRING THE ROADS AND THESE
BRIDGES?
>> THIS WOULD REALLY BE HUGE FOR
WISCONSIN AND FOR THE COUNTRY.
AGAIN, WE HAVE DECADES OF
DISINVESTMENT AND THE BUDGET
PRIOR TO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
WE INCREASED HISTORIC
INVESTMENT.
WE'VE TBEE GUN THE DAUNTING TASK
OF FIXING OUR TWO-LANE HIGHWAYS
AND ROADS WE ALREADY HAVE IN
WISCONSIN, BUT THIS INFUSION OF
FEDERAL DOLLARS, AND IT WOULD BE
CERTAIN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,
WOULD REALLY ALLOW US TO PLAN,
BE STRATEGIC AND REALLY BEGIN TO
TRULY IMPROVE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE
HERE IN WISCONSIN.
>> WILL SOME OF THE MONEY GO TO
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO REPAIR OR
MAINTAIN THEIR ROADWAYS AS WELL?
>> WELL, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT
OUR GENERAL TRANSPORTATION AIDS
THAT GO TO LOCALS AND THEN
THERE'S PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE
THAT WE COULD FUND THROUGH SOME
OF THIS, SO ABSOLUTELY, AND
THERE'S A LOT OF THE BRIDGES
THAT ARE WEIGHT-RESTRICTED RIGHT
NOW THAT REALLY IMPACTS OUR
FARMERS, PARTICULARLY, AND SOME
OF OUR MANUFACTURERS AROUND OUR
LOCAL SYSTEM.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING VERY
CLOSELY WITH OUR COUNTIES IN
PARTICULAR TO TRY TO SPEED UP
THOSE PROJECTS ALREADY, BUT SOME
OF THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR
THESE BRIDGES WILL CERTAINLY
HELP US MOVE THAT PROCESS ALONG.
>> NOW THERE ARE SOME, LIKE U.S.
SENATOR RON JOHNSON, WHO OPPOSE
THE SPENDING, CITING THE
NATIONAL DEBT.
WHAT ABOUT THAT PERSUASION ON
THIS GIANT INFRASTRUCTURE BILL
THAT IS STILL UNDERGOING
AMENDMENT REVISIONS?
>> WELL, I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE HAD
CONCERNS ABOUT THAT IN DIFFERENT
AREAS, BUT I WILL TELL YOU AS IT
PERTAINS TO THIS INFRASTRUCTURE
PACKAGE, THIS IS NOT BECAUSE
WE'RE COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC
FROM MY STANDPOINT.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT STIMULATING --
THIS IS ABOUT SOMETHING THAT
WILL IMPROVE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS IS WHAT GOVERNMENTS SHOULD
BE DOING AND WHAT WE DIDN'T DO
FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.
WE'RE BUILDING THINGS THAT WILL
LAST FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS THAT
WILL PROVIDE A PLATFORM WHERE
OUR PRIVATE SECTOR CAN COMPETE
BETTER WITH CHINA AND WITH OTHER
AREAS THAT HAVE INVESTED IN
THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS IS NOT JUST PUTTING MONEY
IN TO PUT MONEY IN.
THIS WILL RESOLVE IN IMPROVED
INFRASTRUCTURE SO WE CAN COMPETE
AGAINST THE REST OF THE WORLD.
>> THE BILL ALSO AIMS MONEY
TOWARDS MASS TRANSIT AND RAIL
SERVICE, $595 MILLION OVER A
FIVE-YEAR PERIOD FOR PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION IN WISCONSIN.
HOW NEEDED IS AN INFUSION OF
FUNDING TOWARD URBAN MASS
TRANSIT IN YOUR MIND?
>> THIS IS SO WELCOME.
THE EVERS ADMINISTRATION, WE'VE
PROPOSED TRYING TO INCREASE
FUNDING FOR MASS TRANSIT WHICH
IS SO NEEDED IN WISCONSIN, AND
THAT'S ONE AREA WHILE WE FOUND
COMMON GROUND ON INVESTING ON
OUR ROADS IN THE LAST TWO
BUDGETS, THIS IS AN AREA WE WERE
NOT ABLE TO COME TO AGREEMENT
ON, THEY TOOK OUT ALL THE
INCREASES FOR MASS TRANSIT, AS A
MATTER OF FACT FOR MILWAUKEE AND
MADISON, THEY WERE EVEN CUT IN
THIS LAST BUDGET.
SO THIS DEDICATION OF FEDERAL
MONEY TO OUR MASS TRANSIT
SYSTEMS IS GOING TO MEAN A LOT
TO MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE,
EASIER TO USE, AND WHEN WE DO
THAT, THEN USAGE GOES UP.
>> SO WHAT KIND OF REACTION AND
RESPONSE HAVE YOU BEEN HEARING
FROM ACROSS THE STATE TO THE
POTENTIAL OF THIS INFUSION OF
FUNDING?
>> A LOT OF EXCITEMENT.
I WAS JUST UP IN THE GREEN BAY
AREA YESTERDAY MEETING WITH SOME
LARGE EMPLOYERS WHO COULD USE
SOME RAIL CONNECTIONS TO TAKE A
LOT OF TRUCKS OFF THE ROAD,
IMPROVE THEIR EFFICIENCY, AND SO
THERE'S SO MANY BUSINESSES LIKE
THAT ACROSS THE STATE, SO
THERE'S JUST A LOT OF EXCITEMENT
OF WHAT THIS INVESTMENT CAN DO.
>> WE'LL WAIT AND SEE.
CRAIG THOMPSON, THANKS VERY