Doyle says he'll veto road projects
9:26 PM 7/19/03
Scott Milfred State government reporter

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle says he'll veto tens of millions of dollars in higher state spending on roads that the Republican-run Legislature added to the state budget.

Doyle wouldn't give an exact dollar figure or discuss specific road projects in south-central Wisconsin.

But based on an earlier memo from his state Transportation Department, as many as seven projects over the next two years in Dane County could be delayed, including reconstruction of a portion of Highway 151 from Madison to Sun Prairie. The same memo predicted 21 projects in Dane County would move forward, including reconstruction of part of East Washington Avenue and bridge work on the Beltline.

"I am going to make cuts in what is really, clearly, excessive highway or road spending," Doyle said. "Even on top of my budget, which was very generous on roads, the Legislature added hundreds of millions of dollars more into the road budget. And I'm going to make cuts there."

Doyle said he'll probably sign the budget this week and make enough cuts in highway projects and other spending areas to create a $150 million budget surplus.

This budget "cushion," he said, will ensure that the state has enough dollars to maintain vital health programs for children and the elderly.

Sen. Joseph Leibham, R-Sheboygan, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he's anxious to see hard numbers on Doyle's highway cuts. Leibham is worried that Doyle's vetoes will devastate the road budget and hurt Wisconsin's economy.

"Transportation is directly tied to economic and job growth," Leibham said. "We need to have a good transportation infrastructure in place to help that growth happen."

Doyle said his budget proposal earmarked $1.72 billion for highways over two years, and the Legislature increased that to $1.93 billion. Doyle said he'll veto part of the Legislature's increase, though not all of it.

Doyle also said he'll use his veto pen to make sure gas taxes and vehicle-registration fees pay off a large road-building loan. The Legislature wanted state sales and income taxes to pay off the loan. They noted that the loan resulted from transportation dollars paying for schools and local government aid.

Doyle's change could delay 99 of 634 anticipated road projects, including the seven in Dane County, the Transportation Department previously estimated.

The one project Doyle specifically pledged to protect from vetoes Friday was reconstruction of the Marquette Interchange in Milwaukee. Leibham said he supports the giant interchange project. But many other projects across Wisconsin are just as important, the Sheboygan senator said.

"If the budget is scaled back and a big chunk of that goes to Marquette, then there will be a big impact across the rest of the state," Leibham warned.