Wisconsin DOT has redone the Milwaukee west I-94 study. Plans remain to widen it from 6 to 8 lanes.

Interstate 94 on Milwaukee's west side should be expanded from six lanes to eight lanes, according to a new study from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation — a conclusion that opponents hope will not obtain final federal approval.

The project would widen I-94 between 16th and 70th streets.

The $1.2 billion (in 2021 dollars) project, which would feature other changes, is needed to reduce congestion and improve safety, according to the DOT.

That includes providing a reliable link within the state's freeway system for trucks that haul freight throughout Wisconsin and other states.

But opponents say the 60-year-old stretch of freeway can be rebuilt and made safer without the additional lanes — which they say aren't justified based on DOT's traffic counts and projections. The agency's cost estimates for that alternative range from $1.13 billion to $1.16 billion.

People opposing the expansion say the project's benefits favor suburban commuters over Black people living near the freeway — many of whom don't own cars. They also say there should be a bigger focus on public transit and protected bike lanes to reduce auto emissions that add to global warming.

The I-94 expansion project was first proposed by then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican.

It received federal approval to pay most of its costs. But Walker in 2017 dropped the project because the state didn't have a way to fund its share.

Since then, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature have added money for road projects by raising vehicle title and registration fees.

Evers, who defeated Walker in 2018 and on Tuesday won a second four-year term, in 2020 announced plans to revive the expansion project. 

The plan was to again seek federal approval using the project's initial environmental impact statement. State officials were hoping to get that approval by the end of last year.

But DOT announced in April 2021 that it would conduct a supplemental environmental impact statement to better assess traffic pattern changes tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, receive more public input and ensure the project's racial equity.

That announcement gave opponents hope that a new study would result in a plan to rebuild I-94 within its current six lanes.

Friday's announcement means the opposition will now likely shift to attempts to stop the project from obtaining final Federal Highway Administration approval.

Concerns about racial equity, as well as an expanded freeway's impact on climate change, could provide a means of stopping I-94's widening, say opponents — who note President Joe Biden's administration is pursuing such policies.

The FHA has concurred with the new study, a DOT representative told the Journal Sentinel. But the federal agency will need to issue a final approval, after public hearings, before DOT can pursue final project design.

There will be "extensive comments" submitted to DOT and FHA challenging the proposal, said Dennis Grzezinski, an attorney for the opponents.

Freeway expansion expected to begin in 2025

Depending on final approvals and funding, construction to rebuild and widen I-94 is currently expected to begin in 2025, according to DOT.

The revised plan has reduced some of its impact with "smaller infrastructure footprints and less real estate acquisition," according to the DOT statement.

That includes one residential relocation, instead of eight such relocations in the 2016 plan; six commercial relocations, reduced from 11, and 42 to 49 acres of new right-of-way required, reduced from 73 acres, according to the new DOT study.

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DOT also previously announced plans to replace the Stadium Interchange with a diverging diamond interchange.

Such interchanges feature traffic patterns with vehicles driving on the opposite side of the road, in a weaving pattern, with the use of traffic signals, for a short period of time. They are smaller and less expensive than traditional interchanges. 

The DOT's plans also call for modernizing the Hawley Road, 35th Street and 25th/27th Street interchanges, improving bicycle and pedestrian accommodations across I-94 and connecting the Hank Aaron State Trail with the Oak Leaf Trail, and increasing safety and efficiency on adjacent east-west roads by reducing their traffic volumes.

"We placed a high priority on public involvement during the I-94 East-West reevaluation which resulted in significant changes to the previous proposal, and we remain committed to working with stakeholders to minimize any impacts to the community," DOT Secretary Craig Thompson said in a statement.

The revised plan drew support from I-94 East-West Econ Connect, a coalition that includes such groups as Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Near West Side Partners and Engineers Local 139.

The project "will pay dividends for decades with a reduction in congestion-related traffic accidents and a corridor ready to keep up with the region’s bright future,” said Corey Zetts, executive director of the Menomonee Valley Partners, a coalition member.

Also supporting the plan: the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, which represents road builders.

Opponents include Ald. Michael Murphy and Ald. Robert Bauman, whose west side and near west side districts run along the I-94 stretch that is to be widened. Traffic counts don't justify the expansion, they said.

"We have heard time and time again that residents want to see valuable public dollars allocated to the repair of existing local roads, other critical local transportation infrastructure, and enhanced public transit," Murphy and Bauman said in a statement.

Also opposing I-94's expansion is the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation, which includes faith-based, public interest, social justice, public health, environmental and transportation advocacy groups.

There are two public hearings for people to review and provide input on the updated DOT proposal.

They will be on Dec. 12, from 3 to 7 p.m., at  Wisconsin State Fair Park's Tommy Thompson Youth Center, Gate No. 5, 640 S. 84^th St., with bus access via Milwaukee County Transit Service's Route 33, and on Dec. 14, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Marquette University High School (enter from the Michigan Street parking lot), 3401 W. Wisconsin Ave., with bus access via MCTS Routes 35, 30 and Gold Line.

Meanwhile, DOT continues to study the future of the Stadium Freeway's portion north of I-94. That could result in a proposal to replace the freeway spur between Wisconsin and Lisbon avenues with an at-grade boulevard — something favored by urbanists and environmentalists.

Also, there's a growing campaign to persuade DOT to replace a portion of I-794 with a surface boulevard running on downtown Milwaukee's southern edge. Supporters say that would allow development of 32.5 acres that now lie fallow beneath the elevated I-794 between the Hoan Bridge and North Sixth Street.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.