The transit-hostile/pro-highway planning and spending imbalance in
Southeastern Wisconsin - - with implications for civil rights and sprawl
- - reaches a broader audience through Streetsblog.org,
here.
There is no better example of where Wisconsin’s transportation
priorities lie under Scott “No Train” Walker than the Milwaukee Zoo
Interchange megaproject. At $1.7 billion, it is surely one of the most
expensive interchanges ever built (keep in mind this is a state that
“couldn’t afford” to operate passenger rail at $8 million a year).
And guess who will benefit most from Wisconsin’s massive road
expenditure — the transit riders in Milwaukee, or the super commuters
from Waukesha?
This week, a civil rights group and an environmental group filed suit
in federal court against WisDOT, alleging that the interchange project —
which contains no provisions for transit — is in violation of Title VI
of the Civil Rights Act. Title VI requires government agencies that
receive federal funding to not administer it in a way that has a
“discriminatory impact” on minority groups.
This is an intersection but the inflation in road-building is growing very fast. Comparing, we find that the I-94 segment south of Milwaukee comes in at $50+ million per mile, way over the cost of putting down tracks. The director of the Federal Rail Administration said recently, here in Milwaukee: "Two railroad tracks can carry as many people as 16 lanes of highway."
ReplyDeleteAnd that means the cost benefit of roads is shrinking fast while Wisconsin is spending more on the most expensive transportation infrastructure.