Public invited to I-94 community workshops in Southeast Wisconsin

January 27, 2006

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) invites the public from throughout the southeastern Wisconsin region to take part in a series of community workshops for the I-94 North-South Corridor study. The workshops will allow participants to present ideas and concepts for improvements that could be made in the corridor and discuss how these ideas could come to fruition.

“This is a great opportunity for the public to come out and present any idea or concept for the I-94 North-South Corridor right at the start of the study,” stated WisDOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi. “We want to cover all possibilities and examine all feasible options to make sure that the I-94 freeway and the surrounding areas can support the regional economy for the next 50 to 75 years.”

Schedule for workshops:

Racine area: January 31 from 4 to 8 p.m.
CATI Center
2320 Renaissance Boulevard
Sturtevant, WI

Kenosha area: February 2, from 4 to 8 p.m.
Kenosha County Center
19600 75th Street
Bristol, WI

Oak Creek/Franklin area: February 7, from 4 to 8 p.m.
West Middle School
8401 South 13th Street
Oak Creek, WI

Milwaukee area: February 8, from 4 to 8 p.m.
Ronald Reagan Middle School (formerly Sholes MS)
4965 South 20th Street
Milwaukee, WI

The community workshops will feature a short presentation about the corridor beginning at the top of each hour, with the last presentation scheduled for 7 p.m. Immediately following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to split into small work groups to present ideas and evaluate concepts. Participants will be able to view the approved functional plans for I-94 interchange improvements in Kenosha and Racine counties, and the existing freeway configuration for freeway mainline and Milwaukee County. At each table, the public will be able to draw on the maps to show how their ideas might work and provide input to the study.

Technical staff from the I-94 study team will be available to answer questions about roadway design and impacts and help participants refine their ideas.

“People who attend these community workshops could literally be charting the future of I-94 and southeast Wisconsin,” noted Secretary Busalacchi. “We’re looking forward to seeing some innovative ideas and sharing in some great discussion with the public about the future of this freeway.”

The I-94 North-South Corridor stretches from the Mitchell Interchange area in Milwaukee to just south of the Illinois state line. WisDOT recently began a multi-year engineering and environmental study of the corridor to identify possible improvements that could be constructed in coming years.

The results of the community workshops will help WisDOT craft broad options for the corridor that will be presented to the public later this year. WisDOT has contracted with the Milwaukee Transportation Partners, LLC to help conduct the study.

Any participants who need interpretive services or special accommodations are asked to contact WisDOT at (262) 548-8721 or TDD (262) 548-8801 in advance of the meeting.

More information on the I-94 north-south corridor study...

For more information, contact:
Emlynn Grisar, Communications Manager
(262) 521-5373