County Board approves first step in extending Lake Parkway
South Shore residents might pay the price of State’s poor transportation planning
Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors this morning unanimously passed a resolution to study the extension of the Lake Parkway (794) to Highway 100 at Ryan Road. The sponsors of the resolution included Supervisors Patricia Jursik, Michael Mayo, Sr., Mark Borkowski, Marina Dimitrijevic, Christopher Larson, Paul Cesarz, Johnny Thomas, and Peggy West. This resolution follows earlier County Board action calling on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to start the engineering studies necessary to re-deck the Hoan Bridge, which is a key component of the 794 corridor.
The Lake Parkway currently ends just south of Layton Avenue in Cudahy and connects to I-94 via the Hoan Bridge. The additional stretch of road would lead to the Milwaukee-Racine County line. The new resolution begins the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) process necessary for adding (or discontinuing) roads and follows the correct procedural steps required under SEWRPC.
While the lead sponsor, Patricia Jursik, was pleased with the unanimous support of the 794 resolution, she was critical of the DOT after receiving a letter from the Governor. This morning, Supervisor Jursik read the letter verbatim to Count Supervisors. The Governor wrote that engineering work for the Hoan Bridge would not be done during the remainder of his term, even though the bridge work is long overdue and was requested by the full County Board. The bridge is in very poor condition and could be closed without alternatives available.
Supervisor Jursik added that the original Marquette Interchange work, budgeted at $1.3 billion, would have included rebuilding ramps leading to the Hoan, but were removed from the overall project. The Marquette Interchange was scaled back due to the raiding of the transportation fund, and my fear is that the residents of the south shore will pay the price for this irresponsible planning,” Supervisor Jursik said.
As the communities of Milwaukee, St. Francis, Cudahy, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek study the extension of 794 and hold public hearings to advance the SEWRPC process for the road study, the lack of openness and accountability will be highlighted. The DOT’s arrogance in using no-bid contracts with developers that could ultimately benefit from the work, along with refusing to permit the public to weigh in on the planned alternatives to the Hoan, violate the SEWRPC process. We are following the proper channels in trying to extend the Lake Parkway.”
