The Political Environment: The Road To Sprawlville, Chapter 52: Interchange To Nowhere Is Top Drawer

Man, oh man: In this the 52nd chapter of our ongoing series, "The Road To Sprawlville," we note that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has outdone itself in our broke state, forging ahead with a $20+ million I-94 Pabst Farm interchange to nowhere in Western Waukesha County.

And pay no attention to the absence of the twice-cancelled 'high-end' mall that the full diamond interchange with access from both I-94 east and west was supposed to serve - - truly regal interchange that will drive your basic road-builders to the cold showers the first few times they maneuver through it, and see (check photos at the bottom):

* Stone-adorned bridge pillars.

* Red-brick borders around an eventual four landscaped roundabouts.

* Lanes wide enough for small aircraft to use in an emergency.

* A great view of still-empty farmland.

* Plus - - no traffic! At 4 p.m. on a holiday season shopping Saturday (see mall, cancelled, above), there was virtually no one on the road. Photos below tell the story, but first a little more context...

[12/11 Update: Some media put the cost of the project at $11.8 million; earlier reports had the price at $20 million. And as high as $25 million. Waukesha County did pull a pledged $1.75 million contribution because the mall never got built, but the City of Oconomowoc and Pabst Farms put in shares. The lower figure may not include land acquisition and other study, planning and preparatory costs. I'll see if I can iron that out.]

The project sure underscores this lie:

The Truth-O-Meter Says:

"We’re broke. We don’t have any more money."
Scott Walker on Monday, February 21st, 2011 in a news conference and many other venues

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says Wisconsin is broke

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Which he repeated a few weeks ago:

The Truth-O-Meter Says:

"Wisconsin is broke," and "state government is $3 billion in debt."
Scott Walker on Friday, September 2nd, 2011 in a fund-raising letter

Gov. Scott Walker says Wisconsin is broke and $3 billion in debt

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And also: who remembers what the New York Times op-expert recently had to say about the future of exurbia?