Eight-lane highway expansion could harm Black neighborhood, statewide environment, advocates say

When new lanes are added--you just get MORE cars-traffic. That is a fact!




Milwaukee
Eight-lane highway expansion could harm Black neighborhood, statewide environment, advocates say
https://madison365.com/eight-lane-highway-expansion-could-harm-black-neighborhood-statewide-environment-advocates-say/


By Gabriella Hartlaub -


Dec 15, 2022 0



On Monday, a group of protesters waited outside the Tommy Thompson Youth Center in Milwaukee. They held signs that read, “More transportation now,” and “#FixatSix.” These protestors were waiting for the first of two scheduled public hearings on the proposed expansion of parts of Milwaukee’s I-94 highway. 

In mid November, the state Department of Transportation announced plans to not only reconstruct a section of I-94 that spans from American Family Field to Marquette University, but to add an additional lane on each side, expanding the highway from six lanes to eight. 

Public opposition has grown since that announcement, with local advocacy groups asking that the DOT instead adopt a plan they call “Fix at Six” which would reconstruct the highway, but leave it at the current six lanes, lowering the amount of construction time and community disruption. 

When asked in an interview about the reasoning behind adding two more lanes, DOT officials pointed to “congestion-related safety issues,” such as swerving and rear-ending.” They believe that at six lanes, the corridor “would remain significantly congested.” In another statement, they reference the proposed costs of each project, noting that reconstructing and expanding to eight lanes would cost $1.2 billion, as opposed to a six-lane reconstruction which would cost $1.13 billion. 
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Image from I-94 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.

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