Double-Decking Interstate West Of Milwaukee Remains Option, Says Walker

Gov. Scott Walker says a double-decking of Interstate 94 on the west side of Milwaukee remains a possibility as the Department of Transportation looks into how to reduce congestion in that area.

Adding a second deck to the interstate is one of the more controversial options that the DOT has been considering for I-94 from just east of Miller Park out to almost the Zoo Interchange. The idea has attracted critics because in some stretches, the interstate passes through a residential area and past some cemeteries.

Walker said there are no double-deck plans right now, though he doesn’t rule out the idea.

“Certainly we’re not going to remove graves throughout the adjoining three cemeteries there,” “We’re going to look at other options. But (as) we’ve seen as of late, there’s plenty of bottlenecks. There’s got to be a way to try to reduce the amount of congestion.”

This week, a coalition of citizen groups told the DOT that double-decking I-94 would be a bad idea. The groups aren’t fond of other options, like widening the roadway, either.

Bruce Speight of the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group said expanding a few miles of I-94 in Milwaukee County would be bad for Milwaukee and hurt the rest of the state.

“It will divert hundreds of millions of dollars away from local road repair and local infrastructure that communities from all over the state … need,” said Speight. “We don’t need a billion-dollar boondoggle. We need to invest in our local communities and the infrastructure there.”

Speight added that double-decking 94 would only cut a few minutes of travel time.