On April 15th, WisDOT decided to delay the I-94 project by a year to do additional outreach and update their traffic projections to incorporate post-pandemic transportation changes.
This is a win for 1000 Friends and our coalition partners at CMRT who have been calling for a new environmental impact statement. Our efforts have included op-eds, local grassroots efforts, and meetings with federal officials.
This delay is certainly good news, it means that WisDOT will have to do more public outreach instead of relying on meetings from 2012-2014. They will also review how the pandemic changed traffic patterns, something they were not planning to do until now.
However, this effort is far from over as WisDOT remains adamant that expansion is necessary and they continue to reject popular alternatives that include transit. 1000 Friends will continue to push for alternatives that are more fiscally, environmentally, and socially responsible.
