OCONOMOWOC - Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is calling on the state to
take funding away from the local Interstate 94 interchange proposed
for Highway P and invest it in roads in Milwaukee instead.
"The first action we should take is to re-direct the state’s
$21 million appropriation for the construction of the Pabst Farms
exit. That money should go into local roads," Barrett said
Wednesday in his State of the City speech. "Let’s put those
dollars to work repairing potholes and paving local roads that are
heavily traveled right now."
Barrett called on regional leaders to join together and demand
federal and state transportation officials fund local roads and mass
transit projects.
Oconomowoc Mayor Maury Sullivan said the interchange is needed to
accommodate the potential traffic brought in by Pabst Farms’
proposed business park, retail and commercial uses, as well as the
new Aurora Medical Center in the town of Summit.
"The fact that he wants more money for his city doesn’t
surprise me," Sullivan said of Barrett’s comments. "But
I think he needs to recognize other transportation needs that lie
outside the City of Milwaukee."
