Sen. Howard Marklein
Co-Chair, Joint Finance Committee
Room 316 East
State Capitol
Madison, WI 53707

Rep. Mark Born Co-Chair, Joint Finance Committee
Room 308 East
State Capitol
Madison, WI 53708

Dear Senator Marklein and Representative Born:

We are a coalition of businesses, economic development organizations, institutions, and other entities deeply invested in the future of the I-94 East-West Corridor. We recognize the importance of the corridor as an economic engine for commerce in metro Milwaukee, Waukesha County, and the entire state. The I-94 East-West Corridor is the gateway for the products and venues that make Southeast Wisconsin and our state vibrant. In fact, 27% of the jobs and 35% of the businesses in the seven-county region are within five miles of the Stadium Interchange.

This 60-year-old corridor sits between the updated Marquette and Zoo interchanges. Wisconsin must modernize this stretch of highway to maximize the safety and economic benefits of the state’s investment in these two projects. We write in support of including adequate funding for the project in the current state budget.

The department’s preferred alternative of a modernized 8-lane corridor with a diverging diamond interchange to replace the existing Stadium Interchange was the culmination of WisDOT’s Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) and their analysis of post-pandemic traffic data, safety, and environmental impacts. In December 2022, the FHWA signed off on this review.

It’s time to move forward and address all the I-94 East-West corridor’s known issues, specifically severe congestion and related safety challenges.

We urge the Legislature to provide sufficient funding to keep this project on schedule. Inflation’s impact on this long-overdue project is especially problematic, making your decision even more critical. Any delay will only add millions to the project’s ultimate cost.
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Andrew Davis, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
Suzanne Kelley, Waukesha County Business Alliance
Tracy Johnson, Commercial Association of REALTORS® WI

CC: Joint Finance Committee members

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