MMAC Freeway Expansion Plan Doesn’t Add Up

2022 Stadium Interchange rendering. Rendering by WisDOT.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has a big decision on its hands in regards to the rebuilding of Interstate 94. Do they expand the urban freeway to eight lanes or modernize the current six lanes?

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) is strongly advocating for the expansion of this corridor, but their reasoning seems to be based in fiction instead of fact.

MMAC’s Economic Development Theory Does Not Add Up:

MMAC tells Milwaukeeans that the 3.5-mile section of freeway that would be expanded to four lanes is the key to economic development in Milwaukee and that we must choose expansion to move Milwaukee forward. Nevertheless, they offer zero data and information as to what that economic output would be.

Not only is their economic modeling, or lack thereof, an outdated vision from the 1960s but it also does not add up. MMAC’s theory is that congestion due to growth will hamper our ability to grow. However, Milwaukee is one of the least congested major metro areas in the world (400th out of 416 cities) and at the bottom 10% of metros in North America for average traffic times. Being at the bottom of the country for congestion has not led to the economic or population growth they claim the financially unsustainable freeway expansion will lead to.

Quite the opposite is true; our population has been declining, according to the World Population Review. There are many contributing factors to this, but since the freeway expansions of the 50s and 60s, Milwaukee’s population has been on the decline. David Jasenski wrote in Urban Milwaukee that in 1960, the City of Milwaukee was the 11th largest city in the United States, according to federal census data (all of the following data is from federal census data). By 2020, Milwaukee had fallen to the 31st largest city in the United States. Is expanded freeway the answer to economic development or is it really about modernizing our economy and communities?

MMAC’s Congestion Theory Does Not Add Up:

MMAC does not seem to comprehend what causes congestion in this corridor. While there are numerous reasons for congestion – crashes, Brewer games, State Fair, construction, and rush hour – it is primarily because of the on and off-ramps during peak time usage. Adding one more lane does not solve these problems or commute times. Modernization of the freeway will help and that is why I support it, however, adding one more lane will not change your commute time during these traffic instances. A simple Google search will show you that adding a lane has never solved any city’s congestion problems. There are hundreds more examples. We should not fall subject to the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Chambers of Commerce in other cities like Omaha are starting to stand up against freeway expansion and even focusing on removal of urban highways where it makes sense. By the way the City of Omaha grew 19% over the last decade.

MMAC’s Financials Do Not Add Up:

MMAC’s latest opinion piece discusses how the money is already allocated for expansion. Those allocation dollars are taxpayer dollars. Instead, I would allocate those “transportation” dollars to alternative forms of transportation and fix other state highways in the city that need road diets and repair from past design mistakes resulting in today’s reckless driving and disinvested neighborhoods.

In addition, the money allocated is “just a couple hundred million” now, but nowhere do they talk about the hundreds of millions that will be needed in the future for maintenance and repair. Due to inflation, the expansion cost is sure to have skyrocketed. This tax and spending model advocated by the MMAC has to change. We must ask the Wisconsin DOT and political leaders to spend our money more effectively in our communities, not to drive out of them.

MMAC’s Future of Work Theory Does Not Add Up:

You can be as bullish on the city’s future as I am, but the future the MMAC is painting looks like the past. In a recent interview with a business publication, MMAC President Tim Sheehy talked about return to office statistics. He said in some cities over 40% of employees have not returned to the office. I have news for our business membership group: the future of work will not be office driven. It will be remote and hybrid-focused. This means traffic patterns will change from times of day, to days of the week, to where people work.

MMAC wants us to believe that everyone will flip a switch one day, that 9-5 work day will be back at 100%, and that everyone will only use I-94.

Autonomous vehicles, buses, and trucks will also impact the future of work. MMAC, our business membership organization, talks about how, in 30 to 40 years, not expanding will hurt us as a region. Autonomous shipping trucks, drones, and 3D printing will disrupt our commute, supply chain, and shipping demands. Trucks shipping products will be able to predict the most optimal times to move through cities. I can guarantee it will not be during our five to seven minute rush hour.

Conclusion:

During my time at NEWaukee, I have assisted and connected with moving thousands of people to Milwaukee. When I asked why they moved here, the answer was never freeway expansion. When I ask people why they left, it was never freeway congestion. A majority of the time, they moved to cities with a hundred times the congestion Milwaukee has. The MMAC’s opinion piece says we are losing companies and second offices to Chicago, IL. Have they not looked at the commute and congestion times of Chicago? They are moving to Chicago because of talent, talent, talent.

The future is all about talent and people moving to your city. Economic development will come from cities that have the best quality of life. People want safe and vibrant neighborhoods with walkability and connectivity.

Expansions of the urban freeways have been, and always will be, about displacement and separation of cities. Milwaukee has always been about the haves on one side and the have-nots on the other.

This specific project calls for removing Black homes and small businesses. Surprisingly, the organization backing Milwaukee as a Region Of Choice is fine with giving people of color in these neighborhoods no choice in exchange for expanding the divide in Milwaukee.

I am not surprised by MMAC’s opinion piece having no data to back up expansion, because there is none. Their goal is to play on the emotions of being stuck in traffic, and they have a bridge to sell you (using your money) that will solve all your problems. Do not be fooled, that bridge goes nowhere.

Jeremy Fojut, Host of Urban Spaceship.