“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.