Group Challenges Highway Expansion Project With New Research

A new report questions the need for major highway expansions in Wisconsin, having found that previous traffic projections were too high.

The report, by the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG), compares traffic projections to actual traffic counts on seven highways projects. Some are relatively new, built within the last couple years; others are more than a decade old. None have the predicted amount of traffic, but all experienced some growth.

For example, State Highway 64 in St. Croix County was expected to see a minimum increase of 75 percent by 2016. So far, the number of cars and trucks on the road is boosting traffic somewhere between 21 to 56 percent.

WISPIRG director Bruce Speight says people are driving less.

“State transportation planners are starting to acknowledge the shift in trends but our state leaders [and] our state legislators aren’t taking action and aren’t making sure our budget decisions reflect the changes that we’re seeing.”

Governor Scott Walker’s proposed budget increases highway funding by more than $400 million and includes four new major highway projects. That money would be borrowed and some lawmakers from the governor’s own party have criticized the amount of bonding.

The WISPIRG report recommends the state spend more on road maintenance and less on building highways. It also says traffic growth projections should be revised in light of recent driving trends, and that proposed road projects should be scaled back accordingly.