The Federal Highway Administration confirmed that the federal government has approved the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's plan to reconstruct a portion of Interstate 94 in Milwaukee. The state says the widening of Interstate 94 between His 16th Avenue and His 70th Avenue will boost downtown business and improve road safety. The state previously announced the project would cost $1.2 billion. Critics want the state to pump the brakes. Advocacy groups have said through a public engagement process that they are concerned about how the expansion will affect neighborhoods on both sides of I-94. and its potential impact on the environment and public health. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's latest plan is to expand the corridor between the Market and Zoo interchanges from six to eight lanes. The project will also eliminate the left-hand entrance/exit ramp and replace the stadium interchange with a diverging diamond-shaped interchange. “If they were going to reroute to access from the right side, there would probably be a lot less crashes, and I think that's the majority of the cases that we're aware of,” said Mitchell, who lives in London. Gross said. Nearby Story He Hill District. WisDOT records crash rates along the corridor are more than twice the state average. This, along with aging infrastructure and congestion that is expected to get worse in the coming decades, are driving the changes. The passage is through. Part of Councilman Bob Bauman's district. He said he would like to see the current six-lane infrastructure retrofitted rather than expanded. “Billions of dollars spent on 3 miles of freeway and a parallel Milwaukee County Transit System route that needs life support. A streetcar died in water because of the state Legislature.” '' Bauman said. Bauman said the people who live in his district will be most affected by the changes, which are low- to moderate-income. Some people don't use cars. “That's madness. We need to change those priorities, so we look at a more balanced transportation system,” Bauman said. Gross and others who live in the Story Hill area said they don't mind the extra transportation costs or mobility. “We don't have any issues with potentially having access to Miller Valley, so it's not a big deal for us,” Gross said.He said the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has confirmed that this approval is final. He said this means they can move on to the design stage. Construction could begin at the end of 2025. However, the Sierra Club of Wisconsin has strongly criticized the project from the beginning. “It is extremely disappointing that the Federal Highway Administration has issued an ROD for a project currently under investigation for civil rights violations. Opposed by health, transportation and advocacy groups, all of these concerns remain true: Expanding this section of the highway will increase greenhouse gas emissions and increase the burden on taxpayers. It is also unfortunate that there continues to be a lack of transparency in this process, with decisions being made on a Friday afternoon without warning stakeholders before releasing the final required documents (FEIS). It's not the agency's way to make announcements, since the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) won't be made public until next time.As of this week, WISDOT has no more project details than what it listed in its press release. We do not know. After analyzing the FEIS, we will consider our options. We remain opposed to major highway infrastructure expansion and are committed to pursuing a thorough civil rights investigation. ” – Sierra Club-Wisconsin Chapter Campaign Coordinator Kathy Steiner-Baumann believes a lawsuit may be forthcoming.
The Federal Highway Administration confirmed that the federal government has approved the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's plan to reconstruct a portion of Interstate 94 in Milwaukee.
The state says widening Interstate 94 between 16th and 70th streets will boost downtown business and improve road safety. The state previously announced the project would cost $1.2 billion.
Critics want the state to pump the brakes.
Advocacy groups have said through a public engagement process that they are concerned about the expansion's impact on neighborhoods on both sides of I-94, as well as its environmental and public health impacts.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's latest plan is to expand the corridor between the Market and Zoo interchanges from six to eight lanes. The project will also eliminate the left-hand entrance/exit ramp and replace the stadium interchange with a diverging diamond-shaped interchange.
“If they were going to reroute to access from the right side, there would probably be a lot less crashes, and I think that's the majority of the cases that we're aware of,” said Mitchell, who lives in London.・Mr. Gross said. Nearby Story Hill District.
WisDOT records crash rates along the corridor that are more than twice the state average.
That, coupled with aging infrastructure and congestion that is expected to get worse in the coming decades, has led to changes.
The corridor runs through part of Councilman Bob Bauman's district. He said he would like to see the current six-lane infrastructure upgraded rather than expanded.
“Billions of dollars are being spent on a three-mile stretch of highway, and a parallel Milwaukee County Transit System line is on life support. The Legislature's fault will put streetcars in the water.” said Bauman.
Bauman said the people who live in his district will be most affected by this change, and they are low- to moderate-income. Some people don't even use cars.
“This is madness. We need to change these priorities and we need to look at a more balanced transportation system,” Bauman said.
Gross and others who live in the Story Hill area said they don't mind the increased mobility.
“We're fine with the possibility of access to Miller Valley, so it's not a big deal for us,” Gross said.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said the approval means it can move on to the final design stage. Construction could begin at the end of 2025.
However, the Sierra Club of Wisconsin has strongly criticized the project from the beginning.
“It is extremely disappointing that the Federal Highway Administration has issued an ROD for a project currently under investigation for civil rights violations. It has faced opposition from advocacy groups, who say widening this section of the highway would increase greenhouse gas emissions, cost taxpayers more than $1 billion, and reduce air and water pollution, especially in nearby areas. congestion will almost certainly get worse, and car accidents will become more dangerous.
It is also unfortunate that there continues to be a lack of transparency in this process. Announcing a decision on a project without warning stakeholders on a Friday afternoon, prior to the issuance of the final required documents (FEIS), is not the way a government agency should make or announce decisions.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) won't be released until next week, so we don't have any details about the project beyond what WISDOT provided in its press release. After analyzing the FEIS, consider your options. We continue to oppose major highway infrastructure expansion and are committed to pushing for a thorough civil rights investigation. ”
– Sierra Club – Wisconsin Chapter Campaign Coordinator Kathy Steiner
Bauman believes a lawsuit is a possibility.
