Republicans Try To Revive Major Freeway Project In Milwaukee County

Some Republican state lawmakers from southeastern Wisconsin are trying to revive planning for a freeway renovation project in Milwaukee County. The project is known as “Interstate 94 East-West.” It’s a 3.5 mile stretch of highway from the Marquette Interchange in downtown Milwaukee to the Zoo Interchange on the west side.

Legislators and some Milwaukee-area business leaders say traffic often slows at this “choke point,” and that a lane needs to be added in each direction, by narrowing the width of the current three lanes.

Gov. Scott Walker pulled back on planning for the renovation effort last fall, during the state budget debate. But state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and Reps. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, and Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin, are looking for co-sponsors of a bill that would add I-94 East-West to a list of major highway projects approved for construction by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The measure would also require the DOT to reserve $25 million from the state transportation fund for use on the project.

At a Thursday morning news conference in Milwaukee, Sanfelippo said that Dave Ross, the DOT secretary who was appointed last year, “has done a fantastic job of rethinking how the DOT operates. That’s why we feel very confident with the savings that they’ve been able to achieve so far, to date, and with the ongoing savings we’re confident they’re going to be able to achieve, we’re going to be able to pay for this planning with existing dollars.”

Walker offered a cautious response to reporters in Madison on Thursday morning, saying, “Certainly, we’re willing to move projects up. The question is, of all the projects we have in the state, is I-94 the right place to put that, or are there other projects that have a higher priority? That’s certainly something we’ll look at,” Walker said.

The environmental group WISPIRG is more critical of reviving the I-94 East-West project.

WISPIRG Director Peter Skopec released a statement Thursday saying, “The underlying facts haven’t changed since the governor and the Federal Highway Administration pulled the plug on expanding I-94 in the fall: This is a billion-dollar project that we don’t have the money to pay for, and that many people and groups in the community oppose because it fails to address Milwaukee’s transportation needs.”

Skopec added, “Let’s go back to the drawing board and come up with a more cost-effective solution. We could save money by fixing the highway without adding lanes, and by investing in public transit that reduces traffic and connects people to more jobs in the region.”

In their remarks Thursday, both Sanfelippo and Walker suggested I-94 East-West would have a better chance of revival if Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett would drop his opposition to the renovation.

Barrett replied with a statement Thursday afternoon.

“If there really are ‘found’ funds, I’d prefer that the governor, Legislature and MMAC (Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce) focus on the more immediate and pressing need of getting Milwaukee workers to Foxconn and other southeast Wisconsin employment centers by creating and funding a regional transit authority.”