This week we had a HUGE victory. After a very long saga, we have officially won on the I-94 expansion in Milwaukee. Expanding the I-94 East-West Corridor between the Zoo Interchange and Marquette interchanges has been proposed multiple times, but this time, the proposal had made it into the final stages. 
This freeway project was a perfect example of the problems within Wisconsin’s transportation spending. While transit cuts led to over 10,000 people in Milwaukee losing access to work and other needs, and local roads are deteriorating, the Department of Transportation prioritized expanding the highway for over $1 billion to incentivize driving instead of investing in alternatives that would have helped everyone (including those that cannot drive), would have been more environmentally friendly, and would have reduced congestion and addressed safety concerns.
The battle to stop this campaign had a lot of ups and downs. Read on for the long journey:
-In 2014, after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced its plans to undergo a study to decide how it would expand the freeway, the Sierra Club and dozens of other groups in Milwaukee formed the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation. The Coalition was formed around the call for the Department of Transportation to repair the highway, but to build a transit alternative instead.
The Coalition opposed the project because:
- Milwaukee Doesn’t Want It: The City of Milwaukee has passed four resolutions opposing the expansion, the City of Wauwatosa and Milwaukee County similarly called for the money that would go into this project to instead be spent to repair the existing highway and have the rest fund the local needs. Milwaukee would be better served by using that the money to invest in transit and fill potholes. By continuing to emphasize funding highway expansions over providing access to those who do not drive perpetuates the adverse impacts of communities of color. This is the grounds for a recent lawsuit challenging the project by Milwaukee Inter-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). An informal survey we recently put out underscores what we already know: Wisconsinites prefer a better balance in the budget.
- Wisconsin Can’t Afford It: Nothing illustrates the way Wisconsin has been spending outside of our means on transportation more than the current situation with our budget. Even if we increase the gas tax, we’ll never have an unlimited amount of money. We should prioritize our biggest needs and focus on building a 21st Century transportation system.
- The Future Doesn’t Need It: Trends show that younger people prefer to drive less, baby boomers are retiring and replacing the need to commute, and seniors are outliving their ability to drive. However, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) continues to project that driving will increase steadily into the future. Just last month, an Appeals Court confirmed a lower court ruling in a lawsuit by 1000 Friends of Wisconsin that showed WisDOT failed to provide adequate analysis for its traffic projections.
In the last three years, the Coalition has held public forums, town halls, and press conferences. We've helped collect public comments, issue reports, and more, including:
- Identifying a better solution that would help ensure access for everyone and save taxpayers money
- Getting public comments opposing the expansion at the hearing, including expert analysis
- Analyzing the faulty data and holes in WisDOT’s analysis of the project
- Analyzing the faulty traffic counts that were being used to justify the project
- Calling on the Legislature to oppose the project in the 2015-17 Budget—and successfully stopping it from being included
- Supporting good transportation projects in Milwaukee
- Holding a community forum in Milwaukee to give residents a voice
- Working with Mayor Barrett and other elected officials to oppose the project
- Writing countless letters-to-the-editor about a better way forward, including one from Sierra Club’s Ex Comm member, Heather Hanson, and an editorial published by the Journal Sentinel
- Collecting and delivering thousands of public comments
- Demonstrating more important priorities, like our deteriorating local roads across Wisconsin
- Receiving media attention around the country about the wasteful the project was in a National report
- Holding community forums across Wisconsin about what transportation investment we’d like to see
Despite all of this, we hit a huge barrier last year when the State of Wisconsin and United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) approved the plans to expand.
Even though the final step for the project to move forward was for Governor Walker and the State Legislature to sign off on it. We didn't give up. Sierra Club joined a lawsuit by the NAACP and Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope to stop the project. The coalition continued to call on the Legislature to abandon the project and prioritize more important transportation needs.
Then…
Earlier this year, Governor Walker agreed that Wisconsin couldn't afford the project and may not need it.
After rigorous debate through the State Budget, the State Senate and Assembly decided not to move forward on the project.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation requested the US DOT cancel the project.
On Thursday, the USDOT formally rescinded the approval of the project.
After years of ups and downs, this was the final nail in the coffin of this expensive, unnecessary, misdirected proposal. Earlier this year, we explained we were at a fork in the road--the Legislature could either go down the path that would continue to expand highways and leave our local needs unmet or embrace a 21st Century Transportation system focused on the types of transportation investment we need and want. Last week, the final nail was put in the coffin for the wrong path.
Just like any bad horror movie, there is always the likely possibility of a sequel, but for now, let's celebrate! This victory belongs to all who attend meetings, share articles on Facebook, sign petitions, call your legislators, meet with your legislators, enter petitions, etc. At the time, it may feel like it’s not making a difference, but this is proof that it does matter.