A new survey finds Wisconsin motorists are starting to accept the concept of toll roads to pay for highway projects. The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee released the survey. It shows more state residents believe toll roads will be more acceptable to pay for road work. The UWM Center for Urban Initiatives and Research pollsters were surprised by the shift in public opinion, showing one in three Wisconsinites now believe toll roads would be the best way to raise additional highway funding. That’s still not a majority, but it is a major jump in the number of supporters for toll roads.
Over 20 percent of people surveyed say the state’s best option is to increase taxes and user fees to help funding. Just eight percent say the state should borrow money to pay for DOTprojects.
The transportation fund has been shrinking, and forecasts call for more than a 600 million dollar deficit in a few short years. License plate fees and fuel taxes are not keeping up with the cost of maintaining Wisconsin’s highways.
WSAU