Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Opposition is rising - again - vs. I-94/W expansion.

I am glad there is revived opposition to Gov. Evers' plan to widen I-94 inside the City of Milwaukee between the Marquette and Zoo Interchanges. 

Coalition Opposes I-94 Expansion Project

Statewide Coalition Urges Decision-Makers to Support Transit and Local Infrastructure, Not Highway Expansion Megaprojects 

Talk about a Zombie Concrete Dream. 

This project is a destructive waste of public dollars regardless of which party holds the Governor's office and thinks ramming it within pollution-settling distance of residential neighborhoods is the way you add value to a city.

I opposed this boondoggle when Scott Walker and the city-disrespecting regional planning commission first launched freeway expansion years ago; stood with opponents in 2014 as they helped pressure Walker to shelve it and warned in 2017 that it could come back some day.

Because the road-builder/state capitol complex is that strong.

So I opposed it in July, 2020 when Gov. Evers indicated he was going to revive it, and I repeat, again, that nothing's changed:

There is no constituency or true priority for, and zero fit with environmental justice and climate science facts and agendas to justify rebooting the Story Hill-area I-94 expansion which even road-building-boosting Walker had abandoned.

Why are we still dreaming about adding expensive 'freeway' [sic] lanes while the potholes ('Scottholes') and crumbled pavement statewide which helped drive Walker out of office remain unrepaired.

The last time I checked, Wisconsin's road system infrastructure among the states ranked 44th out of 50.  

Is this proposed spending of hundreds of millions of dollars and foisting years more encounters with heavy equipment and orange barrels on the public really in the public interest?

  

I hope this renewed interest in the I-94 boondoggle goes nowhere, fast.



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I don't want more construction. I think they made a mess of the last bunch. It is hard to find where to get on and off now. They don't need to tear up more trees, yards, homes and cemeteries. There is at least a laneful of unused concrete within the highway, no more destruction is needed. Use that if they need a new lane.