Business leaders and politicians called for the renovation of the I-39-90 corridor between Beloit and Madison at a rally in Janesville Monday to improve traffic and increase business in southern Wisconsin.
While the I-39-90 corridor is a gateway for commerce and travel, when six lanes in the northern Illinois portion of the highway narrow to four in the bottleneck across the Wisconsin border, the “commerce corridor” quickly becomes what some are calling the “congestion corridor.”
Speakers at the rally, organized by the non-profit association Forward Janesville’s I-39-90 NOW Coalition, included Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, who has said ignoring the project is something Wisconsin can’t afford.
“For years we’ve talked about this expansion, but now’s the time to get this thing done,” Sheridan said at the rally. “This project will strengthen not only the Janesville economy but will certainly help out the infrastructure of the entire state of Wisconsin.”
The plan proposed at the rally would add a third lane in each direction along the 45.5-mile stretch of the I-90-39 corridor, reconstruct 11 interchanges and replace two bridges over the Rock River.
The plan would also replace pavement with an expected lifespan of 20 years that was built over 27 years ago, according to the I-39/90 NOW Coalition.
The average daily traffic along the highway is almost 60,000 vehicles a day, and the DOT predicts this number may increase by 50 percent by 2030.
Dan Cunningham, vice president of government relations for Forward Janesville, claims the high traffic numbers cause congestion that hurts Wisconsin by driving away businesses.
“We want people in south-central Wisconsin to have good-paying, family-supporting jobs, hope for the future and a reason to stay and contribute to the success of our communities,” Cunningham said at the rally.
Cunningham added unemployment in Rock County is among the highest in the state, and more than 30 Rock County plants have closed in the last 2 years.
Still, a renovation won’t be cheap. The DOT estimates renovating the highway would cost between $700 million and $1 billion, and no funding is currently earmarked for the project.
“We are not asking for a handout from the state, but rather a helping hand in the form of a modern interstate,” Cunningham said at the rally.
A renovation also would not be quick. Members of the coalition are going to Madison Wednesday to lobby legislators, but even if they succeed in getting the project on the priority list, construction most likely would not begin until 2015 or 2016, according to Larry Arft, city manager of Beloit.
Nevertheless, Arft believes the highway needs to be repaired for the good of the state as a whole. “This project benefits more than just Beloit or Rock County,” Arft said. “It’s more than just a local issue, but we’re spearheading this thing because we have a lot of the congestion and backups as a result of this highway’s outdated design.”
