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MILWAUKEE - It is the busiest interchange in the state of Wisconsin with about 350,000 drivers passing through it each day.

And now the Zoo Interchange may be the most unsafe with bridges rusting and concrete missing.

"I think the drivers should be angry," said Republican state Senator Ted Kanavas. "If this is three years from now, we have to shut the thing down."

Kanavas blames Governor Jim Doyle. He says if Doyle would not have taken money out of the transportation fund to plug holes in other parts of the budget, we wouldn't be here.

"That money could be used right now to rebuilding that interchange. And what I think is outrageous is that people have not been held to account," Kanavas said.

And it's not just Republicans being critical. Democratic Senator Jim Sullivan says he was against what he calls the "raiding" of the transportation budget.

He wonders why construction started on the I-94 corridor before the Zoo Interchange.

"There are a number of us who were saying, 'Don't forget about the zoo with the state of deterioration' and it turns out we were right."

He admits the state of the economy and limited resources played a role in delaying the Zoo Interchange construction.

Stuck in the political traffic jam are drivers.

"That has been a bottle neck for many, many years," said driver Sue Fitzsimmons.

She is concerned with the safety of the interchange, which officials claim is still safe for another few years.

Emergency construction will begin next month on three bridges. It will cost anywhere from $12 million to $22 million.

And Fitzsimmons wonders where the money will come from.

"We don't have the money to finance it. So I would want to know how we're going to pay for it."

The governor's office would not comment Friday but referred TODAY'S TMJ4 to the Department of Transportation.

An official says there's never been a lack of funding and that the transportation budget has actually increased over the years.