FREEWAY EXPANSION STILL THREATENED

FREEWAY EXPANSION STILL A THREAT: SPEAK OUT AGAINST IT AT A CRUCIAL PUBLIC MEETING ON APRIL 2 IN DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE

Riverwest and other Milwaukee neighborhoods remain under the threat of freeway expansion pushed by suburban politicians and road-building special interests.

Even though hundreds of citizens, the Milwaukee County Board, the Milwaukee Common Council and Mayor John O. Norquist have all registered strong objections to the expansion, recent events suggest that the special interests may defeat the public’s long-standing objections.

The major threat is created by a $6.25 billion plan being steered by Rep. Scott Jensen, (R-Town of Brookfield), Waukesha County Executive Dan Finley and the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

If the plan goes through, every mile of freeway in the region will get an extra two lanes - - perhaps four more at Story Hill on the West side - - 127 miles of new lanes in all. It would tear down 31 businesses and 216 homes, and require thirty-seven miles of ugly noise barriers to minimize higher levels of noise and dust.

Most of the plan’s damage - - and $140 million in lost tax base - - would take place in the city and county of Milwaukee. This is because Milwaukee is the most heavily-urbanized, populated, developed part of the region - - a key fact that freeway proponents arrogantly dismiss.

Finley pressured his counterpart, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, to overturn a recent 15-10 vote by the Milwaukee County Board against adding freeway lanes in the City of Milwaukee. The vote followed an outpouring of testimony at a special Milwaukee County Board meeting at Washington Park Senior Center against adding more lanes in the city.

Suprisingly, Walker turned his back on his city and county constituency, to side with the suburbanites. On March 20 he vetoed the resolution. It’s the Finley/Walker Anti-City plan now! Finley has indicated that because six of seven counties support adding 127 lane miles, that’s enough for him . He says a consensus exists for demolishing $140 million worth of property in Milwaukee County – even though the Milwaukee Common Council, County Board, the Mayor and a majority of citizens at public hearings have gone on record against that plan.

The suburbanites do not care as we do about city of Milwaukee neighborhoods. They do not respect the hard work we have put into Riverwest, or all the development and resurgence, from the Third Ward to Fond du Lac Ave. that is jeopardized by widened freeway lanes. What we call sprawl they call suburban growth.

Their only concern is racing in and out of town a few minutes quicker - - on wider freeways - - through our yards.

Finley, Walker and about two dozen area leaders will meet on Wednesday, April 2 to decide if freeways in Milwaukee and six surrounding counties will be widened. The meeting is at the Milwaukee Downtown Transit Center, 909 E. Michigan St., at 3:30 p.m. in the Harbor Lights Room

Riverwest people need to attend this meeting in force, to:

• Tell Walker he should not have vetoed the resolution. He needs to represent Milwaukee, not Waukesha.
• Tell Finley he does not dictate to Milwaukee neighborhoods that they should agree to add freeway lanes.
• Make the supporters of the plan explain which taxes and fees they will raise to pay the billions needed to pay for this plan.