Environmental Group Says DOT Inflates Traffic Estimates To Justify Highway Construction

An environmental group is saying that Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation inflates traffic estimates to justify expensive highway projects.

The group 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin studied traffic projections used for 11 highway expansion projects, and found that the DOT’s projections would require significant growth in traffic. Actual traffic numbers, however, show traffic is flat or declining.

Steve Hiniker, the group’s director, said it’s a reflection of the power of Wisconsin’s road construction lobby.

“Everywhere they do a project, they are saying that there’s going to be a significant increase in traffic, even though we know that people per capita are driving less, every person is driving less per year than they were before, and the population projections are below what would be necessary to fulfill any of these projections,” said Hiniker.

Hiniker said the money spent on these projects would be better used for highway repairs or transit.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation had no comment on the study.