A study covering the past 15 years of state highway projects released by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Tuesday has found runaway costs of $1.36 billion, 70 percent more than original estimates.
The DOT conducted the audit on request of lawmakers after a different audit in 2003 found 27 ongoing projects to be running $381 million over estimates, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.
While none of the major highway construction is occurring in Madison, several nearby projects have significant overruns, the Journal Sentinel reported. The U.S. Highway 12 Whitewater Bypass has the largest overrun in the state by percentage. Originally estimated at $8 million, it is now expected to cost $36.7 million, a 359 percent increase. The I-39/U.S. Highway 51 project near Wausau is the second largest overrun in terms of dollars. It will cost an additional $128.6 million more than its original $120.5 million estimate.
The $1.36 billion total does not include the massive reconstruction project underway in Milwaukee to revamp the Marquette Interchange. That project is estimated to cost more than $810 million alone, up 70 percent from its original 1997 estimate, the Journal Sentinel reported.
-Michael Worringer
