Evers wrong for changing rules for road money

When Gov. Tony Evers was on the campaign trail, he made fixing Wisconsin’s roads his chief promise. He was right when he criticized previous administrations for delaying road projects, and borrowing to pay for the work that was done. As a result, road funding hasn’t kept up with needs, roads have continued to deteriorate, and the interest costs have continued to mount. So, it is disappointing that Evers used his veto pen to shave millions from the funding levels legislators included in the budget for road work. The legislature allocated $90 million for road work in the state, but Evers shaved $15 million of that total. He also changed the rules for how local communities can use that state money. Rather than being available strictly for road work, Evers wants the money to be able to be used for things other than roads. Communities across the state can apply for grant money to improve bike trails, build bus barns or even help pay for Milwaukee’s street car. Those may be fine projects. But they aren’t roads. This isn’t what Evers promised on the campaign trail. La Crosse street should be fixed before we build any more bike trails or bus barns.