State, Local Governments Clash over Highway Planning

A clash between transportation planning mentalities is playing out in Milwaukee over a proposed highway expansion—on one side the car-centric concerns of the state; on the other, the placemaking concerns of the city.

1 minute read

July 13, 2014, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker and Mayor Tom Barrett are brawling in the press over a proposed highway project — a fight that exemplifies the enormous rift in America about what transportation policy should accomplish," reports Angie Schmitt.

"Walker insists on plowing a $1.2 billion expansion of Interstate 94 through Milwaukee. Among the options on the table is a proposal to double-deck a portion of the highway through a densely populated neighborhood."

"[Milwaukee Mayor Tom] Barrett told the Journal Sentinel that he’s “mystified” by Walker’s refusal to pull the double-decker option off the table. He said he would do everything in his power to stop the additional highway deck, which would have a “negative impact on property values and disrupt the lives” of residents of the Story Hill neighborhood."

Schmitt also examines a case study of a similar political situation in Cleveland, where local leaders tried to convert the West Shoreway friom highway to Boulevard, only to have the state dissent.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014 in Streetsblog USA

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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