Groups Win Huge Highway Victory In Federal Court

I have not yet read the decision, but I am hearing that the Highway 164/J Coalition and the Waukesha Environmental Action League (WEAL) have prevailed in US District Court Judge Lynn Adelman's courtroom on procedural and substantive challenges to the expansion of Highway 164/J through Waukesha and Washington Counties.

The Coalition is the same group booted out of two recen highway hearings by officials - - one of many recent posts about this issue, a first-person account is here - - so maybe now we know why, as the Coalition appears on solid footing when it has said that highway expansion in this region is rife with flaws and law violations that have stripped the public of its rights and property.

I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know what comes next as far as remedies, or appeals, but it appears as if a great victory on behalf of open and fair government and public policy-making, and environmental preservation, has been won.

It will be interesting to see if state highway officials, or the regional planning commission which works closely with those officials and often shares the same institutional arrogance, will take away any lessons from the way this case is heading.

I invite comments and when I see documents in the case in formats I can post, I will do so.