The Zoo Interchange

I've gotten in to a few debates about the interchange project. Because of the cost of the project, there's some sentiment that it shouldn't be done, or that it should be scaled back . . . a lot. A few thoughts on some of the misguided arguments.

First, we need to start at some intersection of information, if you will. A few things we can agree on. One, our freeway isn't very efficient thanks to the decisions made in the 60's of not finishing 41 and providing a northern bypass. A direct quote from the Director of the DOT: "And because Milwaukee only built 60 percent of the freeways that it originally planned for . . . "

We're a little lucky in that we don't have far to go east. Still, when you look at other cities, Milwaukee's freeway system is very under built. You can argue we're not that big and that it may not be necessary to have bypasses all over the place. Fine with me. That also means we don't need trains of any sort.

Second, the system is old. As such, it's inefficient in many areas. The Zoo interchange is one of those areas.

Third, the interchange gets a lot of traffic. A lot. It wouldn't be very responsible to ignore its needs from both a maintenance standpoint and a repair standpoint. Considering how much traffic travels through the interchange, it's not well designed.

Now, let's also do away with some other issues. First, comparing the Zoo interchange with the Marquette interchange. Let's keep in mind that the Zoo interchange is in the proposal stage and that the cost of the Marquette interchange is now known as it's finished. Even with the MI, developers revised original plans to make the project more "community friendly". What ever that means. The project also came in under budget. As far as I'm concerned, the MI isn't perfect, by any means.

Point is, you simply cannot compare one interchange project with another.

As for some other issues . . . one being that it won't decrease travel time much. That the amount of money being spent for 5 minutes is crazy . . . First, no one is making any great claims about reducing congestion and travel times. I've made the argument that by increasing lanes you'd obviously decrease congestion . . . at least, to a point. But, no one made any great claims about the MI, and no one is making any great claim about the ZI. Much of the reconstruction is simply about repair, and as long as we're repairing let's make it as better as we can.

Costs and lack of government money. Who cares? We pay an incredibly high amount of tax specifically for the purpose of our roads. I want to see that money spent on improving our roads!

Affordability. Talk to Doyle. Better yet, get him out of office. He's been raiding the transportation fund for years and is mostly to blame for any lack of ability to pay. Plus, while I'm certainly the type of person who doesn't like to see government spending money it doesn't have no matter what, I'm not sure why we're so concerned about this now with this project. Wasteful over spending is the new pink! Plus, plus, at least this project is worthy. To me, anyway. Fact is, maintenance needs to be done. The project includes road issues that extend way beyond the interchange itself in all directions. A such, yes. That makes the project more costly than just maintenance on the interchange would cost. It becomes a decision of practicality. As long as we're breaking ground repairing the interchange, address the other issues right away. Doing so actually reduces the cost over waiting until later to start another new project.

Here's a great line: It will improve safety, but not much else. Well, people's safety certainly isn't important. Deaths, accidents, injuries . . . non of those things have a cost associated with them. Pffft. You call that a reason?

We have alternatives. Well, no we don't. Ask someone who lives in Sussex, Butler, west Menomonee Falls . . . heck, even the northwest side of Milwaukee what those alternatives are. Congestion on the streets is no treat. It's been proven that getting to where you need to be quickly is better for the environment and pollution. One might might to poo poo the 5 minutes, but it was Obummer himself who said we'd save millions in barrels of oil is we just keep out tires properly inflated. He's not wrong. It was a stupid argument against drilling, but the statement isn't wrong. That 5 minutes times 35,000 cars times 250 days equals a lot of pollutants saved.

Taking the streets, however, would add plenty of time to a person's commute, increasing pollutants even more. More than that, though, I, and many others, simply do not want to add to their commute time if possible. I'd rather spend that time with my family. And if improvements can be made to help shorten my commute time . . . even 5 minutes makes me all the happier about commuting to and from work.

Lastly, I love the ". . . people should be sensible enough to live closer to where they work." That is such a disingenuous and shallow argument it's practically retarded. You know what? I wish that, too! Gee, I never thought of that! I'll just give up 10 years of tenure, 4 weeks of vacation, 10 years worth of raises, working at an established successful company just so I can be more "sensible" about my proximity to work.

Again, the ZI project is in the proposal stages. While I would love to see the plan proceed as it's being presented, it will likely change. So too, could funding. Doyle may not be ruler much longer. With a new Governor, changes in the economy, we could well see help from the feds with funding. It is an interstate, after all. More to the point, we can't turn our backs on repairs and safety just because we don't feel 5 minutes is worth the money spent. It's much more than that. Increasing efficiency reduces areas of congestion which reduces accidents. Which, contrary to what some might believe, have real costs.

People's lives are worth it.

All you need to read:

The JSonline headline says it all:

Voter Fraud: We’ve been here before

Yes we have.

BTW, the article defends ACORN. I'm sure the reporter got all the information he/she needed at the ACORN site as there are no questions posed to anyone from ACORN. Just take it all at face value.

Harley Parade

A few pictures from the Harley Parade.

They kept coming, and coming, and coming . . .


and coming, and coming . . .


Babes on a bike:


Ooh, la, la:



Awesome. One of those things were you really had to be there. I hope everyone has a safe and fun time!

Take your time, take your time!

So the Marquette Interchange is going to be ready two months earlier than expected and millions under budget.

Hmm.

These are roads and bridges we're talking about here, not someone's landscaping. Are we really happy that bridges one hundred feet up and more are going to be done faster and for less money? Does faster mean rushed? Does less money mean corner were cut? I'm sure the money savings is largely labor. Still . . .

Seriously, this is great. Our DOT did a great job on something that was sorely needed. Once people get used to the changes and see how nice it is, they'll wonder when the zoo interchange construction will start.

It's Just a Penny!

The County Board approved a measure that would put to referendum a hike in the sales tax of one cent. This has come up and been tried before. But, Scott Walker has always vetoed the measure. I actually wish he would let it go to referendum. Maybe then the County Board would see NO ONE wants an increase in the sales tax. What's interesting, and dubious, is that the board says there would be a savings on a person's property tax as a result of this. From JSonline:

The sales tax would yield property tax savings of about $165 a year on a Milwaukee home worth $150,000, according to backers of the proposal. The estimate was based on substituting sales tax revenue for the $67 million the county now spends in property taxes on parks, transit and emergency medical services.

“Parks” is broadly defined to include recreation and cultural institutions the county supports, including the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Supervisor Joseph Rice said the referendum language was misleading and that supervisors couldn’t guarantee the property tax relief would continue in the future. Supervisor Christopher Larson said the tax relief was plainly stated in the referendum question.

“The voters should trust us that that’s what we’re going to do because that’s what it says,” Larson said.

"Trust us"?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Catching my breath)

You've GOT to be kidding me!

Using logic illogically

There's an interesting post on the Milwaukee Biz Blog by Tom Barrett. The post deals with some, as he calls it, fried facts (I'm not sure what that means . . . ). One issue I have with Tom's post is the information he doesn't tell you which is revealed by a person who responds to his post. The article is here.

The post deals with the 27th street off ramp that is to be closed with the I-94 expansion from the airport south. But none of this is really the point that I'm trying to get at. In the article, Tom defends closing the 27th street ramp with this logic:

This is an important point, because the access points that will remain open to 27th Street are those most heavily traveled. According to information from our city engineer, approximately 16,000 vehicles exit I-894 via S. 27th Street every day, but only 1,500 of those cars – less than 10 percent - utilize the exit that would be closed.

First off, 10% or not, 1500 cars is a lot. But, again, this isn't the point. If 1500 cars a day, or 10%, isn't enough to justify keeping the ramp, why is less than that (in terms of transit numbers) a justifiable reason to persue rail?

Elections - the good and bad

The Good:

Of most importance, Scott Walker. It's a bit after ten and his lead has been growing. Clearly the result of the out lying areas coming in later. I was pretty confident Scott would win. Never mind the race issue. Lena was completely unqualified for the job. She is also a tax and spender. Scott Walker is virtually the only guy in Wisconsin politics that fights for the taxpayers. We need him. I'm very happy he won.

It's still a bit too close to call the Supreme Court race although Gableman has a slight lead. Hopefully it holds.

In an amazing twist, Mike McGee looks like he's going to lose his job! He'll go down almost 60 - 40. I hate to make generalizations about people or, in this case, a district, but I'm shocked . . . but happy. It shows there's hope for that area of Milwaukee yet. Particularly in light of the fact that this story made national news. What an embarrassment this would have been for the city had McGee won.

Say goodbye to the Frankenstein veto. It went down by a huge margin. Good riddance. First, just on it's face it's a bad thing as money can be re-distributed that was never brought to the table to discuss. That's just wrong. In Doyle's case, he really raped the budget with his restructuring of words and sentences.

Grant Langley took out wannabe Colon for city attorney. Colon had no business even running for this office.

Another good thing . . . people elsewhere are voting down spending referendums. It's a sign that people are sick of being hosed and taxed, and holding school boards accountable for the money they do have. Elmbrook looks like it may pass, but the others have been voted down.

The Bad:

For me here in Milwaukee, the lack of any real opposition to incumbents on both the Common Council and the County Board. Particularly on the County Board, many ran unopposed or were challenged by virtual unknowns. For me that means 4 more years of Lee Holloway . . . and that's depressing. Additionally, there are a bunch of libs on the County Board and they are the ones that control a good amount of the money that we pay in taxes. I swear, I'm going to mount a campaign next election cycle. Holloway ran unopposed. I really don't think it would have taken much to get him out.

The same applies to the Mayoral race. I know Tom Barrett. He's a nice guy. But he's just wrong on most of the issues facing this city. Again, no real opposition. Too bad.

Update: Gableman's lead is increasing!

Over all, good results. Especially where it counts.

More Snow?!?!

From JSonline:

Winter storm watch Thursday
Call it the winter that just won't quit: The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for all of southeast Wisconsin beginning Thursday morning.

The weather service says the potential exists for 6 inches or more of snow. More snow could fall in areas near Lake Michigan, according to the latest forecast.

I'm gonna need more xanax.

Doomed Domes Donor

A major upgrade of the Mitchell Park Domes this summer, spurred by $550,000 in private donations for a new lighting system, will include a "halo ring" illuminating the top of the Show Dome and making it visible at night from I-94.

The donation was announced today at the Milwaukee County Board's parks committee, which voted 6-0 to accept the money. It was given by local philanthropists Michael Cudahy and Chris Abele and a third unnamed donor.

Abele said the dome project represented a prime example of positive public-private partnerships. The county is planning on spending more than $390,000 to replace the roof and ceiling of the lobby building linking the domes.

The county also plans to replace broken glass panels on the domes, formally known as the Mitchell Park Conservatory.

Combining the public and private money will allow a project with a bigger impact and perhaps encourage other future efforts, Abele said.

The lighting project will include new entry and exterior lights, energy efficient LED lamps inside the domes that can be programmed for different effects and the outside ring.

The halo effect will restore the intent of Domes architect Donald Grieb, who designed the triple-dome structure that was built in the 1960s at 524 S. Layton Blvd.

The full County Board votes on the gift March 20.

The domes will be closed during construction this summer.


I'm happy about this. While I often thought the Domes and the Gardens (Whitnall Park) should be combined (and still do), the Domes were in bad need of repair and renovation. I would have hated to see them go but I wouldn't have been willing to dump a lot of tax payer money in to them to save them. They're not THAT needed. Again, like having the stadium downtown, I think the Domes would be better off as part of the Gardens. By itself, the Domes don't offer much in the way of stuff to see and do. As part of the Gardens, an all in one monster gardens would be very attractive. Still, this is a good compromise. Plus, the Domes have been part of Milwaukee's skyline since they were constructed. No more boob jokes?

The Barrett Express

Mayor Barrett wrote a small column in this weekend's JournalSentinel on our local transit issue. He points out the 91 million from the federal government that has gone unused and goes on to lament about not having a balanced transit system. While he does touch on the bus system and it's woes, it's all about not having a rail system.

What is it with the libs and trains?

A couple of things struck me about the article. First, why? He blathers on about all sorts of things yet never answers a basic question . . . why? He makes declarations about how behind we are, that we need this, that other cities have it, and claims that we'll benefit if we invest in it.

If we fail to modernize transit in Milwaukee and throughout southeastern Wisconsin, our region will miss critical economic development opportunities and fall further behind other parts of the country.

Why? While a few other cities have invested in a rail system (debatable whether any of them are successful), lots of cities don't have rail and do just fine. Including Milwaukee. So we're doomed in some fashion if we don't have rail? Why? Don't freeways spur economic development?

Then there was this:

Recently, the state approved a $1.9 billion expansion of I-94 from the Mitchell Interchange down to the Illinois state line. This would be the most expensive road construction project in Wisconsin's history, and it was decided without a debate or a referendum.

Well, maybe it's because PEOPLE LIKE TO DRIVE! What a ridiculous statement. Roads are clearly a priority over rail . . . there's more of them and they're the basic infrastructure of travel throughout the country. DUH.

The other thing about that statement that he doesn't tell you that he always blathering on about otherwise, is the amount of JOBS that project will create. I guess if it isn't a rail construction job, it's not good enough.

As for the 91 million . . . if you can do it with rail, you can do it with wheels.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 2

Local Issues.

The Bad certainly has to be the crime in Milwaukee. I know the numbers can be misleading but the fact remains we have a higher murder rate per capita than New York City. That's terrible. Yes, 90% of the murders that take place are bad people killing other bad people. But, that's still not good, and it raises the chances of innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. Plus, it just doesn't make out city look good and makes certain areas of the city very undesirable. While Mayor Barrett want to claim a renaissance is taking place, it perhaps isn't in the area he believes. The other frustrating about the situation is that the aldermen, the Mayor, and the Governor all want meeings and studies to be held rather than actually do something about the problem.

Runner ups in this category are the freeways (the city does not want expansion) and rail systems (the city does want to expand this).

The Ugly? Taxes. The Common Council raised our taxes . . . and wanted raises. The County Board raised our taxes . . . and wanted raises. The Mayor raises our taxes. MPS raised our taxes. MATC raised our taxes. Fees all over the place went up. The Governor raised our taxes. Thanks to Scott Walker and republicans at various levels of government things aren't worse than they are. People are leaving the state in droves, yet, with a slight increase in city population Mayor Barrett thinks we're undergoing a "renaissance".

Runner up: The weather. Global warming my butt. And snow plowing/removal. Atrocious so far.

The Good? This wasn't a very good year for the city of Milwaukee. Still, for my family this was a banner year. I'm sure every city has it's attractions. None compare to, of course, to that which is our lakefront and the many festivals held there. Wisconsin, in general, is a great place to take a vacation. Between the festivals, State Fair, our many lakes, Door County, our Zoo, and countless other places and activities, summer is anything but boring here. From the time my daughter ended school to the time she went back, almost every weekend had some fun activity. While Milwaukee may have it's problems, it's easy to get away from it all and forget about them for a bit.

What to ride, what to ride . . .

So, if the city decides to go in to the bike rental business . . . won't that compete with the electric trolley plans?