Expansion of I-90/39 from four lanes to six isn’t expected to happen any time soon, say DOT officials. But Forward Janesville plans on doing all it can to keep the project on people’s minds. Here, traffic moves north and south at the Avalon Road/Highway 11 interchange with Janesville to the north.
JANESVILLE — It's been studied extensively, and most everyone's in agreement that a $715 million expansion of Interstate 90/39 between the state line and Madison is necessary.
About all that's needed to expand the interstate to six lanes—three in each direction—is a timetable and funding source.
"The problem is that this project is not really on anyone's horizon," said Dan Cunningham, vice president of government relations and education for Forward Janesville.
But Forward Janesville, the city's private economic development organization, thinks it should be.
As part of its roadmap for 2009, the organization will form local partnerships to lobby the state Legislature to put the project on a definitive timeline and provide funding for it in the 2009-10 legislative session.
"We want the I-90/39 corridor to be part of the state's plan, which it isn't today," Cunningham said. "Not today, but someday.
"We certainly don't expect anyone to drop $715 million in our lap."
Cunningham said the 45-mile segment built in the late 1950s doesn't meet the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's safety standards. The stretch averages 608 crashes a year, more than one-third of which result in injuries and fatalities.
The route also has had several high-profile public safety incidents, including a two-day shutdown during a blizzard last February, Cunningham said.
Forward Janesville said the unsafe, crowded section of Interstate also hinders Janesville's economic competitiveness.
A six-lane route from the state line to Madison eventually would connect other six-lane sections, Cunningham said, and would make it easier for local manufacturers and their outgoing and incoming shipments.
"When you drive along that same corridor in northern Illinois, you see things popping up from an economic development perspective," he said. "The fact is that development follows good roads."
Traffic counts show increasing use, and the section is forecast to reach the threshold for a six-lane road shortly after 2010, according to the department.
Joe Olson, director of DOT's southwest region, said the I-90/39 project is not on the state's six-year plan that runs from 2008 to 2013.
It has, however, been categorized as a major project for the state's Transportation Project Commission, which prioritizes road projects and essentially puts them on a timetable for completion.
The commission has yet to list the I-90/39 expansion as a priority project, which means at this point it is many years away, he said.
Olson said costly design and engineering work would not be done until the commission puts the project on a timetable, which often is determined by available funding.
Rep. Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, said the project is at least eight to 10 years away.
But he's hopeful his recent election as Assembly Speaker will help him accelerate it.
"Maybe we have an opportunity because of the importance of that corridor to get it moved up," he recently told The Janesville Gazette's editorial board. " …Being in the leadership position that I'm in will hopefully enhance the chances of taking care of my district more so in some ways."
Forward Janesville hopes so.
"In uncertain economic times, this project could mean thousands of jobs for Wisconsin," Cunningham said. "However, if we don't do something soon, I-90/39—one of the most vital entry points into our state—will become a virtual bottleneck."
OTHER PRIORITIES
In addition to accelerating the expansion of Interstate 90/39, Forward Janesville has included three other priorities in its legislative roadmap for 2009.
The private economic development group will ask the city council Monday to endorse the highway improvement and support:
-- Efforts to allow municipalities to pool revenue from existing Tax Increment Finance districts to help retain a large regional employer or attract other companies. Forward Janesville also would like an amendment to TIF law to allow for the reduction of a TIF district's base value when property is demolished to make way for a redevelopment project.
-- A request to state leaders to enhance Wisconsin's overall economic development competitiveness by enacting tax credit portability and refundability.
-- Special legislation designating specific areas in a city as Development Opportunity Zones that would carry specific tax credit caps.