Gov. Scott Walker announced his plans to invest $1.5 billion to make U.S. Route 41 into an interstate highway Tuesday, a project that would last until 2017.
U.S. Route 41, which runs from Green Bay through the Fox Valley to the Mitchell Interchange in Milwaukee, had been designated as a future interstate highway in the 2005 federal transportation law introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis.
Walker noted U.S. Route 41 connects crucial regions of Wisconsin to benefit local, regional and state economies.
""Converting the corridor to an Interstate highway will provide enhanced safety, mobility and economic development potential,"" he said in a statement.
The project will undergo an Environmental Impact Statement to certify the construction will have limited effects on the surrounding area.
U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wis., condoned Walker for deciding to upgrade the highway.
""We need to invest in important infrastructure projects like this one, and this is a logical and wise use of taxpayer money,"" Ribble said in a statement.
This investment comes months after Walker lobbied the federal government to defer a federal grant worth $810 million designated for a Wisconsin high-speed rail project to other states.
As Walker chose to invest in a stronger highway system, state legislators in the Joint Finance Committee voted to weaken local transit systems by repealing the law authorizing Regional Transportation Authorities.
The four RTAs across the state, which were created in 2009 under Gov. Jim Doyle's administration, have the authority to provide public transportation services like bus transit and commuter rail. The Southeastern RTA, SERTA, had plans to create a commuter rail between Kenosha and Milwaukee counties. The RTAs have the authority to implement a .5 percent sales tax to create revenue.
However, the JFC voted 12 to 4 along party lines to support the proposal to eliminate RTAs and the commuter rail.
Co-Chair of the Joint Finance Committee Robin Vos, R-Burlington, who called RTAs ""undemocratic"", put forth the proposal.
