As I See It
Just fix it
Just fix it. That is the message to Wisconsin lawmakers from one of the state’s most important industries. The state’s timber industry is reminding lawmakers of the importance of well maintained roads, encouraging them to summon the political will to make an investment in our infrastructure. Doing so is critical to the future of one of Wisconsin’s biggest industries. Wisconsin is the nation’s number one producer of paper and pulp and generates almost $25 billion per year to the Wisconsin economy. But most of that timber grows in rural areas, where roads have not been kept up. That leads to weight restrictions on local roads, which means truckers hauling big loads have to follow detours,or carry smaller loads, which means more miles logged, which ultimately means higher costs for consumers. That makes it a worthwhile investment to spend the money to properly fix our roads. For the timber industry, more delay is no longer an option. It is time to just fix it.