Are you Kidding? Transportation Department Funding Disaster...requires more study?

The shocking transportation budget problems haven't moved Scott Walker off his no tax pledge to Grover Norquist, even if it cripples Wisconsin. Norquist came up with his hair-brained no tax pledge when he was 12 year old for gods sake.

The roads statewide have gotten so bad that the costs to taxpayers will not only skyrocket on existing and future projects, but increase the interest on the debt dramatically.

Walker's reaction pictured here means his conversion is almost complete. 

The cost of major road projects in Wisconsin doubled between the time they were planned and built, a sweeping audit of the state Department of Transportation revealed Thursday.

It cost $1.5 billion to build 19 major projects between 2006 and 2015 — $772.5 million more than originally estimated, the Legislative Audit Bureau found ... the DOT didn't take into account the considerable effects that inflation and changes to project design would have on those costs over time.

Another 16 projects that were ongoing ... originally expected to cost $2.7 billion, are now slated to come in at $5.8 billion. 

Comical Republican reactions followed the jaw dropping audit numbers that everyone else could see coming:

Those reluctant to raise taxes for highways, including Gov. Scott Walker, will argue the DOT is not giving lawmakers honest estimates or managing its budget effectively.

Ah, the HONEST ESTIMATES were higher...making delays even more inevitable. Which makes the following comment just plain nuts...

State Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Allouez) said, "The Legislature is more likely, along with the governor, to approve (a project) if they are told it's going to cost much less than it actually does."

Ya think? I just don't have the time to try and unpack that one.

It's sad that Wisconsin voters increased the number of these idiots in our legislature because they simply have an (R) next to their names. As their party screws things up even more, it'll just prove to them that government can't do anything right, forcing them to elect even more Republicans.

After rejecting the latest Transportation Department report and Legislative Audit Bureau figures, we need another report? Tell me this isn't some kind of "Groundhog Day" nightmare: 

Assembly Republican leaders want to know the real price tag for future Wisconsin highway construction. The top GOP Assembly leaders sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Dave Ross requesting a full review of cost estimates for all ongoing projects planned or budgeted for the 2017-19 and 2019-21 biennia, updated figures for projects yet to be enumerated and a comprehensive report on all projects since 2010 documenting the estimated costs and the total actual costs.

The leaders want accurate figures before lawmakers begin work on the budget.“ Taxpayers deserve to know how much a road is going to cost before it’s built,” said Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester). “Unfortunately, these miscalculations will probably confirm what  many of us fear; our transportation fund is deeper in the red than we thought.”

Ya think? I'm outa here.