Opponents call to delay I-94 expansion
They say civil rights review should finish first
Interstate 94’s planned expansion on Milwaukee’s west side should be delayed until a federal civil rights review of that project is completed.
That’s according to freeway expansion opponents who spoke at a Wednesday news conference overlooking I-94 near the Zablocki Drive bridge.
“The civil rights complaint has not been addressed,” said Rev. Joseph Jackson Jr., of Friendship Baptist Church and vice president of Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope.
MICAH and other groups say the project’s benefits favor suburban commuters over Black and brown people living near the freeway — many of whom don’t own cars.
The civil rights complaint says the project will bring harmful effects which disproportionately affect people of color. Those include increased noise, carbon emissions, air pollution, water pollution and flooding.
A civil rights review led the Federal Highway Administration to delay work on Houston’s Interstate 45 expansion.
The administration and the Texas Department of Transportation a year ago reached an agreement to allow work to resume on the $9 billion project.
Texas officials agreed to provide $30 million for affordable housing for people displaced by the project and create new walking trails, bike paths and green space.
The Federal Highway Administration, which will provide most of the funding for the $1.74 billion I-94 expansion, has approved the project, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced this month.
But while WisDOT continues design work, construction isn’t to begin until late 2025.
Meanwhile, the ongoing civil rights review could take a while to complete, said attorney Dennis Grzezinski, who’s representing the complainants.
WisDOT says it has worked to minimize any community impacts from the project. It will widen I-94 from six lanes to eight lanes between 16th and 70th streets, and is needed to to reduce congestion and improve safety, according to WisDOT and business groups which support the expansion.
If that work proceeds, opponents hope to see WisDOT agreeing to spend additional funds on mass transit, bike lanes and walking paths to provide alternatives to driving, said Cassie Steiner-Bouxa, senior campaign coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Wisconsin Chapter.