This week we joined NAACP - Milwaukee Branch and Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) in filing a law suit in federal court in Milwaukee, seeking to block Wisconsin Department of Transportation's efforts to rebuild and expand I-94 between 16th and 70th streets while refusing to include necessary public transportation expansions as part of the project.
There are many reasons fighting I-94 and similar highways is important.
Environmental Protections:
“Expanding highways while support for transit declines also hurts our air quality, which is a health and environmental justice issue that concerns the Sierra Club,” said Bill Davis, our Chapter Director at the Sierra Club.
Racial and Economic Justice:
“Spending billions of dollars on one extravagant highway expansion project after another, while transit services and funding keep getting cut, reduces the ability of many Milwaukee residents, particularly persons of color, to access employment, education, health care and other activities,” said Fred Royal, NAACP Milwaukee Branch President.
Job Access:
“One of MICAH’s biggest concerns is the extreme and unacceptable rate of joblessness in the central city, for persons of color in general and African-American men in particular,” stated Pastor Marilyn Miller, MICAH President. “We all know that people of color depend on transit to get to work at all. We need more transit – to more places where the jobs are – not just highways that don’t help these members of our community get to work.”
Taxpayer Dollars:
This I-94 expansion would cost over $1 billion. It would join the ranks of the expensive highway expansion projects that have been the cause of troubles in our state's transportation budget. This tension has been highlighted through the audit of WISDOT, which revealed that highway projects are frequently over budget. As legislators debate our state budget, it’s vital for us to make clear that transportation options that best serve all people (like public transit) should be prioritized. Even Governor Walker has admitted that transportation demands are changing; more young people are choosing to not purchase personal vehicles. For those who are unable to drive, cannot afford cars or do not want to own a car, public transportation is a vital lifeline to work, school, healthcare, church, shopping and more.
Ways You Can Help:
- Sign and share our petition calling for a responsible transportation budget that meets the needs of Wisconsinites.
- Watch for dates and times for public hearings on the state transportation budget. Attend and ask for less highway expansions and more funding for local needs like transit and local infrastructure.
- Attend WISDOM’s Day of Action and join the transportation contingent.
- Collect surveys from business you frequent to help us gather the business perspective on transit.
Donate today to support this lawsuit calling for environmental justice in Milwaukee.