The first was to simply do nothing. This 1.7-mile reconstruction project will expand I-41 to eight lanes from Swan Boulevard to Burleigh Street in the City of Wauwatosa. The intersecting Mayfair Road would be increased to 11 lanes. WisDOT took pride in finishing this megaproject in part thanks . 0000006836 00000 n [14] However, a lawsuit was filed in August 2012 attempting to rein in the capacity expansion component of the plan on the grounds that it would have a discriminatory effect. It also suggested reducing lane endings at interchanges and reconfiguring ramps to allow for travel at a higher speed. He noted that the project is now scheduled to be let in 2021, rather than 2018. This compounded on a two-year delay introduced in the previous budget, moving the completion date to 2022 from the originally planned 2018. The Zoo Interchange Core and Adjacent Arterials Reconstruction project rebuilt 7 miles of urban freeway and 4 miles of local roads. Design phase - Do you have any comments or questions? Note that WisDOT added the interchange's west leg work and other incomplete segments to the north leg the paper . The interchange reconstruction has sparked much controversy and political polarization. The budget has $122 million for mega-projects in southeast Wisconsin, including $91 million for the Zoo Interchange reconstruction, and $31 million for prep work for the reconstruction of east-west Interstate 94 between the Zoo and Marquette interchanges. WisDOT expects the work on this project to be complete by the end of 2023. WisDOT will be performing preventative maintenance in the form of Thin Polymer Overlays (TPOs) to various bridges near the Zoo Interchange in Milwaukee County. Already considered one of the busiest in the state, the intersection would see a major increase in traffic volume. In February 2017, the city council sent a letter to the state legislature requesting that the completion not be delayed. In the region, respiratory diseases from air pollution already had higher occurrence rates among minorities than Whites. Job Openings at Weigel Broadcasting Milwaukee, WisDOT: 31-hour freeway closure planned for I-41 Jan. 6-8. WisDOT originally planned to begin working on the Zoo Interchange after a rebuild of I-94 from Milwaukee to the state line had been completed . This was later extended through the end of the interchange construction. Craig Thompson, executive director of the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin, said its little surprise that the cost of completing the Zoo Interchange would increase following a two-year delay. "We've had two this past year, and this will be the last one. The third alternative was to improve traffic management with HOV lanes, new driver messaging boards, increased patrols, and improved access to traffic information. A $1.86 billion (equivalent to $2.96billion in 2021[7]) deal was proposed that would benefit both groups. [27] The department obtained laser mapping units, new desktop, laptop, and tablet computers, and GPS rovers in preparation of the project. This argument was rejected by the court; they believed that the project could have effects on the entire region, not just the areas around the interchange, and the state needed to take these into consideration as well. Rented in 6 days. 0000001707 00000 n The choice to expand the capacity of the interchange greatly increased the cost, with a simple rebuild estimated at only $900 million. The proposal increases road aids to local governments over the current two-year budget, and decreases overall highway spending. Under this budget, completion of the north leg of the interchange was delayed by two years. [23] Bidding for the second phase of the core occurred in September 2015. %PDF-1.4 % Two terabytes of data were generated from surveying the site. The first would look at the environmental effects of expanding the interchange's capacity, especially if future traffic volumes did not meet the state's estimate. NEXT: MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Zoo Interchange North Leg project is planning a 31-hour full freeway closure of I-41 between Watertown Plank Road and . z-index: 2147483640 !important; Critics had warned that a delay could drive up the projects costs when Republicans were busy adopting a provision barring work on the north leg of the Zoo Interchange during the 2017-2019 biennium. Michael Pyritz, WisDOT spokesman, said in an email that the higher estimates are the result of inflation and design-cost predictions. The estimated cost was $2.31 billion (equivalent to $2.9billion in 2021[7]). endstream endobj 143 0 obj <>stream [15] Further, state aid to the public transit that these groups relied on had been decreasing. 0000227856 00000 n The budget also includes increases in money to be shared with local governments for road projects. .video-close-floating { [25] In June 2018, the ramp from I-94 west to I-894 south opened, marking the completion of the last major structure in the core of the interchange. Interstate-41 in both directions will be closed from Jan. 14 at 11 p.m. until. 0000017566 00000 n Overnight I-41 closures will begin the evening of Sunday, March 7 with long-term construction staging to begin the evening of Friday, March 12. A total of three bids were submitted. The ruling prevented construction from proceeding until studies on its effects had been completed. 0000010866 00000 n (equivalent to $2.71billion in 2021[7]) The third option was a full rebuild with widening to eight lanes. A bill of materials was released in advance, giving contractors two to three months to obtain the steel before the work was scheduled to begin. The second option was to make spot improvements to the interchange. Work finally began in 2014 with an expected completion in 2018. [4] The directional interchange style had become deprecated due to safety concerns and a lack of efficiency caused by vehicles that had to move across the highway in both directions. For the railroad junction in Philadelphia, see, Freeway system construction, post World War II to the 1960s, Core completion and north leg delay, 20182022, Last edited on 18 December 2022, at 03:58, "Once a marvel, Zoo Interchange becomes an artifact", "Years of construction ahead for Milwaukee area freeways", "State sets sights on rebuilding Zoo Interchange", "Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Freeway System Reconstruction Study and Recommended Plan", "Milwaukee Buzz: Zoo Interchange moves to faster track", "Doyle directs WisDOT to work on Zoo Interchange", "Zoo Interchange reconstruction could cost $2.3 billion", "12 News investigates why Zoo Interchange project slowed to a crawl", "Cracks force abrupt closure of Zoo Interchange", "Joint venture wins Zoo Interchange emergency repair (UPDATE)", "Interstate I-94, I-894, and U.S. Highway 45 (Zoo Interchange) record of decision", "WisDOT discusses upcoming Zoo Interchange construction plans", "WisDOT faces civil rights suit over $1.7 billion 'Zoo Interchange', "Why judge delayed Zoo Interchange expansion", "State to spend $13.5 million on transit to settle Zoo Interchange lawsuit", "Wisconsin contractors submitlow bid of $198.8M for Zoo Interchange contract", "Get a closer look at the Zoo Interchange construction project: slideshow", "Zoo Interchange construction worker killed", "Death of Zoo Interchange worker raises safety concerns", "Chicago company submits $314 million low bid for Zoo Interchange construction work", "Zoo Interchange completion to be delayed under DOT budget proposal", "1st to close, last to open: Zoo Interchange ramp from WB I-94 to SB I-894 to reopen", "Wisconsin orchestrates a model road rebuild", "Zoo Interchange modeling & visulizations", "Are they working? 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The original estimate for the cost was $1.1 billion (equivalent to $1.41billion in 2021[7]), although it was expected to go up to $2.6 billion (equivalent to $3.32billion in 2021[7]). Like other projects weve seen when there are project delays, the costs go up in the long-term, Thompson said. Winter is over, and now it is time for the next season not spring, but construction. 0000037042 00000 n [5] Doyle stated that advancing the project would benefit the economy of the region and create new jobs. Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip. The North Leg is the final segment to complete the Zoo Interchange. Northbound traffic will shift to the southbound roadway to allow for work on northbound lanes. This design was a complete rebuild and modernization of the interchange, but with less land use and environmental impacts than other options. However, further budget issues delayed the completion (as of September 2018) until 2022. L301#sef`C" x endstream endobj 101 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/Index[7 55]/Length 20/Size 62/Type/XRef/W[1 1 1]>>stream Animated fly-through of the proposed new Zoo Interchange.The Zoo Interchange web site (http://projects.511wi.gov/web/zoo-interchange-project) provides drawin. The defendant agencies challenged that the studies should only be required in the immediate area of the interchange. [24], The 20172019 state budget featured a decrease of $292 million in the amount allocated for large highway projects in the Milwaukee region compared to the previous biennium's budget. Plans set reconstruction in 2015, but it was advanced by Governor Jim Doyle to 2012, then delayed due to lack of available funding. 0000001368 00000 n It includes some of the busiest freeway sections in the state. The budget request for the 2017-2019 biennium is sent to Gov. [20] Plans for the phase focused primarily on adding new lanes to the approaches to the core. Delaying the work hasonly made it more expensive. Area residents feared the increased traffic would create safety hazards and overflow into the surrounding neighborhoods. County transportation aid would increase 8.1 percent over the current two-year budget, and aid to municipalities would grow 4.7 percent. 0000005417 00000 n It forms the junction of Interstate94 (I-94, EastWest Freeway), I-894, I-41, US Highway41 (US 41) and US45 (Zoo Freeway). [31], In August 2012, a lawsuit was filed against the state and federal departments of transportation, alleging that the project was discriminatory. This design would still solve all of the problems, but would have a lower cost, less environmental impact, and require significantly less property and utility relocations. MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Zoo Interchange North Leg project is planning a 31-hour full freeway closure of I-41 between Watertown Plank Road and Burleigh Street this weekend. [18] By March 2014, work was under way on improvements to surface streets in the area. The overall two-year budget for general transportation aid would be $885.3 million, compared with $839.3 million in the current biennium. WisDOT agreed to pay $13.5 million (equivalent to $15.4million in 2021[7]) for public transit improvements in the region. [26], WisDOT proposed several possible courses of action and designs for the interchange reconstruction. The road to progress is paved with patience. In case of inclement weather, work will be rescheduled for a future weekend. MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Zoo Interchange North Leg project closure of I-41/US 45 between Watertown Plank Road and Burleigh has been postponed due to weather. The eight-lane variant would solve all of the problems, and was favored by the department, but it faced opposition by the public because of high costs and environmental impacts. The higher traffic volumes increased wear on the streets and prevented the city from doing a rebuild of North Avenue. The firm recommended the construction of a 20.4-mile (32.8km) freeway system, which was approved by the city in 1952 and began in 1953. 0000004359 00000 n ;Hu=hyE.<4pQ*_pd3cX. 2023 FOX Television Stations, Cashay Henderson Milwaukee's 3rd Black trans woman killed in 9 months, Fishermen find remains of missing man inside shark, Milwaukee police chase, fatal crash; vehicle taken in armed robbery, Zachariah Anderson murder trial: Arguments over possible 2nd mistrial, Bayshore collapse a complete failure, former snow removal company says. [37], The Zoo Interchange reconstruction has showcased the conflict of political ideas in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that Residents of the city want a more diverse transportation system. 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