As the summer starts to come to a close, 1000 Friends felt it was important to revisit the final State budget which passed in early July. This budget will impact everyone in the state for the next two years. Unfortunately, this budget will continue our unsustainable transportation policies that have left local roads and transit […]
Read more about "2021-2023 Budget Recap – Preserving the Status Quo"
This week Governor Evers signed the 2021-23 biennial budget (2021 Wisconsin Act 58), which included an unprecedented one-time 50% cut to the transit systems in Milwaukee and Madison over the next two years. While the shortfall in transit funding may be filled by federal COVID relief funds, it is not guaranteed. These one-time cuts are deeply distressing and we […]
Read more about "2021-2023 Budget: Most Harmful State Transportation Budget in a Decade"
Just this week, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) moved forward on a budget item that would approve funding for I-94’s expansion in Milwaukee. This is an unfortunate decision that would lead to a 3.5 mile, $1.1B expansion of the highway that is a fiscal, social, and environmental mistake. It is the continuation of a decades […]
Read more about "Update on I-94 and Transit – Continuing the irresponsible status quo."
Transportation advocates call for more action before the budget heads to Gov. Evers’ desk The Joint Finance Committee voted Tuesday night to move forward on transportation components of Wisconsin’s 2021-23 biennial budget. These elements include investments in Wisconsin’s local road and bridge repair, but the committee rejected Gov. Tony Evers’ proposals to increase public transit funding and […]
Read more about "Proposed state transportation budget will unnecessarily expand I-94 and leave transit riders in the dust"
On April 15th, WisDOT decided to delay the I-94 project by a year to do additional outreach and update their traffic projections to incorporate post-pandemic transportation changes. This is a win for 1000 Friends and our coalition partners at CMRT who have been calling for a new environmental impact statement. Our efforts have included op-eds, local grassroots efforts, and meetings with federal officials. This […]
Read more about "One Step Closer to Victory on I-94’s Expansion"
On March 16th, 1000 Friends and our coalition partners submitted a letter to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calling for a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the I-94 East-West expansion. Our efforts have started to gain national attention as the Biden Administration has shown a shifting attitude on highway expansion. Last week, we […]
Read more about "I-94 Expansion Continues to be an Environmental, Fiscal, and Social Mistake"