Racine lawmakers support 8-lane expansion

By JENNIE TUNKIEICZ
jtunkieicz@journalsentinel.com

Posted: May 3, 2008

Ives Grove - State Reps. Cory Mason and Robert Turner, both Racine Democrats, want to make sure a clear message is sent to the Federal Highway Administration on plans to reconstruct I-94 from Milwaukee County south to the Illinois border: The interstate should be expanded to eight lanes.

Plans to expand 35 miles of I-94 from six lanes to eight had been announced by the state Department of Transportation last year. The $1.9 billion project would start at the Mitchell Interchange in Milwaukee County, and work would begin in 2009. The deadline to send comments to the federal agency on the environmental impact of the project is Monday.

But there has been opposition to the plan from those who advocate simply fixing the current six-lane system. Critics of the proposed eight-lane expansion say it will have little impact on traffic congestion; others argue the money should be used for public transportation upgrades instead.

The final environmental impact statement prepared by the state DOT reported that the added lanes would lead to little change in travel times in Racine and Kenosha counties, although motorists on some stretches of I-94 in Milwaukee County would have their drive times reduced by 10 minutes.

Mason and Turner disagree. Both said it would be poor planning to scale back the project.

"You can see the congestion now," Turner said.

Mason said changing the project to an upgrade of existing lanes would have a negative economic impact, not only on future growth opportunities, but also immediately in the number of jobs.

"It could be the difference of hundreds of jobs," Mason said.

Terrance McGowan, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers, said updating the six current lanes would still cost $1.7 billion and would not have the economic impact that the larger project would provide.

Critics say they will continue to work against the proposed expansion.

"The change in travel times is so insignificant, you cannot justify a $2 billion project on them," said Steve Hiniker, executive director of the environmental advocacy agency, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. "They're minuscule. They put those travel times in more as a political statement."

Hiniker's 1000 Friends, the ACLU of Wisconsin, Midwest Environmental Advocates and the Sierra Club Great Waters Group expect to submit a response to the final plans before the Monday deadline. The groups have combined their resources to challenge the DOT on its projections, including the findings that the freeway expansion will not increase emissions through the freeway corridor.

The groups are contemplating legal action in the event the Federal Highway Administration gives the state the OK to go forward with the proposed expansion.

The federal transportation authorities are expected to issue their decision on the DOT plans in late May or early June.