No 'Double Decker Freeway' For $1 Billion I-94 Project
MILWAUKEE, WI — The resumption of a massive I-94 reconstruction project in Milwaukee County would create thousands of jobs, and would not incorporate a "double-decker" design, nor remove historic grave sites, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Wednesday morning.
Evers said the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is pursuing federal approval to resume a project to rebuild an East-West corridor of I-94 from 70th St. to 16th St. in Milwaukee County, giving one of the most congested and dangerous roads in the state a makeover to mitigate safety and congestion problems.
According to a Milwaukee Business Journal report, state officials got federal approval for the $1.1 billion project in 2016. The project would have covered the same project area that was brought up by Evers on Wednesday.
“Investing in our infrastructure is critically important for our economy,” Gov. Evers said in a statement on Wednesday. “Moving forward on the I-94 East-West corridor project will mean between 6,000 and 10,000 good jobs and will ultimately save lives, reduce travel times, and help businesses across our state. We know that deferring road maintenance could cost us more down the road and put safety at risk, so getting to work on this project is good common sense.”
Officials said the I-94 East-West corridor is a "major lifeline for businesses and local economies across the state."
According to transportation officials, the current East-West corridor was designed and built more than 60 years ago, intended for significantly less traffic than its current use. The corridor also has a crash rate two-and-a-half times that of similar state highways, and transportation officials said its design is a "continued safety and congestion concern."
WisDOT Secretary-designee Craig Thompson said simply repaving the current segment is not a viable option on Wednesday.
“It would cost about half a billion dollars to rebuild the corridor in its current form and the end product would be nearly as congested and dangerous as before,” Secretary-designee Thompson said Wednesday in a statement. “With the Marquette Interchange complete and the Zoo Interchange nearly completed, the East-West corridor would just become a bottleneck between them. Maintaining a state of good repair and adequately addressing safety and congestion problems along the corridor is essential, and it will also help the state maximize the return on its investments in other sections of I-94.”
WisDOT will reassess alternatives to confirm the preferred option for the segment that would increase safety and improve travel times while preserving local historic grave sites and maintaining the current number of interchanges.
In addition to sparing the historic grave sites in the Story Hill neighborhood and maintaining the current number and location of interchanges, the preferred option will not incorporate the “double-decker” design that drew community opposition when the project was last studied in 2015.
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow lauded the idea, calling it a good idea, especially during heavy-traffic times surrounding Milwaukee Brewer games, Summerfest and other major events that would ordinarily be happening had it not been for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin.
“This project is even more important as we face new and unexpected economic challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the recent spike in unemployment claims, the up to 10,000 new jobs that this project could create could play a major factor in getting our local economy fully up and running again," he said.
This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Patch
