As legislators in Madison debate how to fill a $1 billion hole in the state’s transportation fund, cash-strapped local government officials are left with no choice but to use band-aids to patch the potholes riddling the state’s crumbling roads and bridges.

n the Trempealeau County town of Chimney Rock and many rural towns, that means saving money by converting once-paved streets into gravel roads.

In Chippewa County, it results in posting weight limits on dozens of deficient bridges to reduce the chances of them collapsing.

For many local governments, it simply means putting off road work they know should be done but can’t afford.

Such is the state of transportation funding in Wisconsin, where officials widely acknowledge the problem but can’t agree on a solution. The issue has caused a public rift between Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature over how to best solve the problem.

“I would like to see a long-term, sustainable funding solution for the transportation fund,” said St. Croix County highway commissioner Tim Ramberg, reflecting the view of highway commissioners throughout west-central Wisconsin contacted by the Leader-Telegram.. Read more