Wisconsin Department of Transportation awaits I-39/90 expansion

Daily Reporter (Milwaukee), Oct 22, 2008 by Paul Snyder

If it ever gets the money, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will expand 50 miles of Interstate 39/90 between Madison and the Illinois border.

"Whenever it does happen, we're estimating a five-year construction window," said Larry Barta, a WisDOT project manager. "But we don't know when the (Transportation Projects Commission) might meet or when the money needed might become available."

The TPC, a governor-appointed committee that generally meets every two years to vet WisDOT's major projects, has not met since 2002 because, according to TPC members, the state does not have enough money.

Money is another of the unknowns associated with the I-39/90 project. Barta said WisDOT estimates it would cost $715 million to expand the interstate from four lanes to six.

"And that's in today dollars," he said. "You know inflation is going to move that number up."

Craig Thompson, executive director of the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin, said he is worried the state might not have the money for a long time.

With three major projects already in the pipeline -- the Zoo Interchange in Milwaukee, the Interstate 94 north-south corridor between Milwaukee and the Illinois border, and the conversion of Highway 41 into a freeway -- WisDOT already has a lot of money in play.

Couple that with state budget squabbles every other year, and transportation projects in Wisconsin face a bleak future, Thompson said.

"All projects are being dragged out because the money's not there," he said. "If we don't come up with new revenue sources soon, we're in a lot of trouble."

But Kevin Traas, director of transportation policy and finance for the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, said the I- 39/90 expansion could be just what state officials need to jump- start major projects.

"It's great if they're getting to the point where they're going to start talking seriously about it," he said. "And it's necessary. If something's not done soon, think ahead 30 years from now and what kind of condition that road will be in."

Barta said WisDOT's renewed interest in the expansion is reactionary, but not solely because of the major traffic backup near Janesville last winter.

"Usually, if you're getting 44,000 cars per day, you start looking at expansion," he said. "We're getting close to 60,000 per day on that stretch."

In addition to commuter traffic, the corridor serves heavy freight. Teresa Adams, director and principal investigator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's National Center for Freight & Infrastructure Research & Education, said despite rising fuel costs, the freight trade is growing, and I-39/90 must meet the demand.

"Within 20 years, segments will need to be expanded," she said. "A lot of people are watching this."

The approvals process for major highway expansions can take several years even without budget disputes. Barta said WisDOT could have its environmental impact statement on the project signed off by the Federal Highway Administration by the end of the year.

"Once the FHA signs off, we can begin the design process," he said. "But there's no way to tell yet when work is going to start."