CONTACT: Elizabeth Ward, Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter
(608) 445-4489, elizabeth.ward@sierraclub.org
Peter Skopec, WISPIRG Director
(847) 687-7229 (m) peter@wispirg.org
Coalition for More Responsible Transportation Responds to Proposal to Revive I-94 Expansion
After years of debate, thousands of public comments opposing to the project, and the state and federal governments’ withdrawal of support for the project last fall, several Milwaukee-area legislators are seeking to revive the billion-dollar expansion of I-94’s East-West Corridor between the Zoo and Marquette Interchanges. Leaders of the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation (CMRT) issued the following statements in response:
“The underlying facts haven’t changed since the Governor and the Federal Highway Administration pulled the plug on expanding I-94 in the fall,” said Peter Skopec, Director of the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group. “This is a billion-dollar project that we don’t have the money to pay for, and that many people and groups in the community oppose because it fails to address Milwaukee’s transportation needs. Pulling the plug was the right decision, and we urge the Governor, Secretary Ross, and the Federal Highway Administration to stick to it. Let’s go back to the drawing board and come up with a more cost-effective solution.”
“We are going to continue to fight against any decision that ignores the conditions and well-being of the people in the city of Milwaukee and surrounding areas,” said Pastor Marilyn Miller of the Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope. “We will not stand by and allow the government to continue to roll over us like the cars on these proposed massive freeways. We need a comprehensive transportation strategy that will unite us and serve the greater good.”
“If the Legislature has found $25 million to invest in infrastructure, they should be putting it towards real needs, like filling potholes and investing in public transit systems that reduce traffic and provide access to school, work and other needs,” said Elizabeth Ward, Conservation Programs Coordinator with the Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter.
“Wisconsin needs to shift its priorities to the maintenance and operation of our infrastructure and away from unnecessary highway expansion,” said Ashwat Narayanan, Transportation Policy Director with 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. “We commended the increase in funding for local road and bridge repair and the move away from the interstate expansion. It would be a shame to reverse course now.”
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The Coalition for More Responsible Transportation is composed of public interest, environmental, public health, faith-based and transportation advocacy groups, including the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG), the WISDOM interfaith network, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and the Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter.