No to Expansion of I-94 East-West “A Big Win for Taxpayers”
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WISPIRG Urges State Leaders to Invest More in Maintenance, Public Transit
WISPIRG
MADISON – The transportation budget signed today by Governor Walker does not give the green light to the billion-dollar expansion of I-94 between the Zoo and Marquette Interchanges in Milwaukee, but includes more money for local infrastructure maintenance. The package also modestly increases funding for public transportation.
“The decision not to greenlight the billion-dollar expansion of I-94’s East-West Corridor in Milwaukee is a big win for taxpayers,” said WISPIRG Director Peter Skopec. “We’ve long criticized this proposal as unnecessary, wasteful, and unlikely to improve the Milwaukee region’s transportation network.”
WISPIRG urged state leaders to now pull the plug on this expansion project for good and come up with a better plan: Fix the highway without expansion and create a modern rapid transit network to connect more people in the region to jobs, opportunities and services. The Governor’s statement, in March, that Wisconsin may not need more new highway lanes because of changing transportation preferences and emerging technologies, points to a much-needed shift in our state’s conversation about transportation.
“Wisconsin has to change its transportation spending priorities to focus on 21st century needs,” added Skopec. “This budget isn’t a U-turn, but it’s a good first step towards investing our transportation dollars wisely, not wastefully.”
More funding for local road maintenance and a small boost to public transportation approved by the Governor are good news – but the increases in this budget don’t go far enough. WISPIRG is urging state leaders to double down on 21st century priorities to create a modern, cost-effective transportation system that works for everyone in Wisconsin.
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WISPIRG, the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization that takes on powerful interests on behalf of its members, working to win concrete results for good government, public health and Wisconsin consumers.
