Highway J Coalition Outraged Over Rash of Crashes
The activists along the controversial Highway J corridor in Waukesha and Washington Counties are outraged over a series of serious car crashes.
It's hard to see how turning Highway J (164) into a four-lane 55 mph road has been a improvement, which state transportation officials have said was the goal.
4 comments:
"It's hard to see how turning Highway J (164) into a four-lane 55 mph road has been a improvement, which state transportation officials have said was the goal."
Maybe Highway 164 in Washington County is only two lanes.
My understanding that the when completed, the road goes from two lanes to four, and the speed limit, which was to be 45, goest o 55.
Well, I'm confused then. The Washington County crashes are all on two-lane highway. Are you saying that they wouldn't have happened had the highway been four lanes?
For the past 10 years, the Highway J Citizens Group, U.A. (HJCG) has been trying to stop the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) from converting State Highway 164 (formerly County Highway J) in Waukesha and Washington Counties into a major four-lane thoroughfare with a 30 foot median. This project is unnecessary, fiscally-irresponsible and environmentally-damaging and that's why the HJCG has been pursuing a federal lawsuit against the WisDOT, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers these past 3-1/2 years.
Last year, this lawsuit reached the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC, after which it was returned to the district court in Milwaukee for further proceedings. Now Judge Lynn Adelman has asked the parties to prepare additional legal briefs on the substantive merits of this case.
In addition to stopping the four-lane expansion of Highway 164, the HJCG is trying to make its current, two-lane, residential roadway much safer for area residents and travelers. One element of that major safety goal is to reduce Highway 164's speed limit to 45 mph (which, in the past, has been proven to reduce accidents and minimize injuries).
Last year, the WisDOT promised to reduce Highway 164's speed limit to 45 mph and then subsequently reneged on that promise. Since refusing to lower this speed limit, there have been many serious traffic accidents on Highway 164 which have resulted in two deaths and at least five serious injuries. When is the WisDOT going to take these safety concerns seriously and lower Highway 164's speed limit to 45 mph?
If you would like to support the Highway J Citizens Group, U.A.'s federal lawsuit to: 1) Stop economically and environmentally damaging road expansion projects in Wisconsin like Highway 164, 2) Require that the WisDOT fully and fairly consider other alternatives which are both community-friendly and cost-effective, and 3) Change the way WisDOT does business in Wisconsin (which will save many millions in tax dollars), then please send your much-appreciated donations to them at: HIGHWAY J CITIZENS GROUP, U.A., P.O. Box 152, Hubertus, WI 53033 or you can donate online at their website (www.hwyjcitizensgroup.org) using the safe and convenient PayPal feature located there.
This federal lawsuit is a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to stop the WisDOT roadbuilding juggernaut from paving over our beautiful state (especially the Kettle Moraine area in Southeastern Wisconsin) with unecessarily large road expansion projects. These types of lawsuits are like 15 round boxing matches -- to win, the citizens need to stay in the ring for the full 15 rounds. With your support, the HJCG can win this battle for environmental protection and community preservation. Thank you for your concern.
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