Patrick Marley

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - The state is reviewing whether it can scale back future road projects to save money, Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday.

Walker touted smaller-scale projects just weeks after the Department of Transportation warned in a memo that there is a "tidal wave" of costly, critical projects that cannot be delayed forever.

The memo comes at a time when Walker is standing against raising the gas tax and some of his fellow Republicans who control the Legislature are calling for finding another $300 million for highways over the next two years.

Wisconsin might not need to build as many lanes of highways as it has in the past because of changing technology and work habits, Walker said. He noted driverless cars could be on roads in the near future and young people are increasingly choosing not to buy cars and relying on services like Uber and Lyft to get around.

"I think part of it is going to be looking ahead and determining whether or not there are better ways we can do those projects in the future," Walker told reporters. "I’ve asked (Transportation Secretary David) Ross to look at...whether or not those bidding on those projects are able to deliver at the price that fits the needs of the taxpayers. So we want to make sure that we’re using every dollar wisely."

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) said he was unsure that was possible.

"All I can do is look at what DOT has said itself in the past, that there's not enough revenues to keep up with the current expected demand," he said. ​