The Journal Sentinel has documented the poor shape of Milwaukee's streets.
So why did the first round of federal transportation stimulus funds include not a nickel for Milwaukee?
And remind me again why the state is pouring $1.9 billion into rebuilding and expanding I-94 between Milwaukee and the Illinois state line, with $200 million for a new lane that will have its own repair schedules?
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission worked together and created a $6.5 billion regional freeway expansion and rebuilding plan, including 127 miles of new lanes.
Not a penny in that plan to rebuild or repair local streets, or, heaven forbid, expand or support transit.
Remember all this the next time you hit a pothole, or follow the debate about whether Milwaukee, unrepresented on the SEWRPC board, should formally withdraw its approximate $220,000 annual property tax transfer to SEWRPC and put that money into a city-based planning body.
Adding lanes and capacity, at a time when car use is falling, strikes me as a misguided use of resources.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the new Federal transportation bill will include a provision that the vast majority of federal funds must be spent on maintenance or mass transit, rather than on new highway capacity. T4America has more information on this.