“Fix at Six”: A Transit/Rehab alternative to widening I-94 in Milwaukee

 I was pleased recently to help a coalition of environment and transportation reform groups in Wisconsin advance the fight against the widening of the I-94 freeway in Milwaukee by writing a report outlining a transit-rehab alternative.  

The report - “Fix at Six”: A Sustainable Alternative to Expanding I-94 in Milwaukee” - is available here.  (A good summary news account can be found here, and background on the anti-widening coalition here.)

The backstory is that Wisconsin DOT is attempting to restart a project for widening the east-west freeway in Milwaukee from 3 lanes in each direction to 4.  The project stalled several years ago (I was part of that fight too) due to lack of funding, public opposition, and the fact that the project is generally a horrible idea. It didn’t make any sense then and it makes even less sense now, in an era of “Code Red” climate crisis and increased attention to transportation equity issues.  (My opinion is that we should have a moratorium on federal funding for highway widening projects until these issues are sorted out.)

Fortunately, a transit/rehab option makes a lot of sense here in Milwaukee.  The key elements I have proposed are:

First, rehab the highway, fixing condition and safety issues and downsizing (not upsizing) highway ramps and connections where possible.  As the report says: “The road should be repurposed, redesigned, and rebuilt to perform a new role in advancing the transportation, economic, environmental, and social goals of the 21st century.”

Second, design and build a bus rapid transit (BRT) network.  The county is already using federal funding to build a BRT route on one of the major east-west streets, and the street grid lends itself to further development.  In the report I have laid out a notional network of east-west routes (and north-south connectors) that would efficiently link up major activity centers and neighborhoods.

Third, advance other mobility and accessibility initiatives, including bike lanes, transit-oriented development, commuter rail, and targeted housing and zoning policies.  We need neighborhood-scale as well as corridor-scale projects which will enable people to connect more easily with jobs, schools, shopping, networks of family and friends, and other desired destinations while at the same time improving community fabric.

Putting all these pieces together would promote mobility throughout the east-west corridor, from walkable neighborhoods to convenient rapid transit to longer distance commuter rail, all in a sustainable, equitable way.

Why have these sensible solutions been ignored in favor of putting down an expensive, inequitable, disruptive, ugly, climate-unfriendly river of concrete?  The factors seem to include institutional intransigence at WisDOT, anti-city sentiments among suburban office holders, the ineffectualness of some city politicians and opinion leaders, and a fixed view in WisDOT and the construction industry that pouring concrete (wherever and for whatever reason) is good for the state’s economy.  

There is a better way to do this, folks, and we can make it happen.

New Electric Vehicle “How To” Kit for Towns

DVRPC (Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the MPO for greater Philadelphia) has just published a new “Electric Vehicle Resource Kit for Municipalities” which should become a valuable resource for local elected officials and community activists seeking to promote EV usage.

Although the toolkit (available here) is specifically designed for the New Jersey and Pennsylvania towns that the commission serves, it contains lots of useful information that will be helpful to anyone working at the local level.

Topics covered include how to incorporate EVs into a municipal fleet, where to look for federal and state grants, and how to locate EV chargers.  I especially like the practical advice, such as: “It is important to think carefully about which vehicle in your municipal fleet to replace with your first PEV. If the first vehicle is a success, the path to the second, third, and more will be much easier. You want to do what you can to assure that the first PEV will score high marks with municipal staff, be highly visible to your residents, and make good financial sense to the town council.”

Having been involved in a few of these efforts over the years myself, I give high marks to Rob Graff and company at DVRPC for producing a nifty EV toolkit that is user-friendly, updatable, and implementation-oriented.