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Three Zoo Interchange Bridges to be Rebuilt Immediately

Posted by State Senator Jim Sullivan on Nov. 24, 2009 | 12 comments

Construction, Crashes, Department of Transportation, DOT, Highway 45, I-894, I-94, Roads, Sullivan, traffic, Zoo Interchange

I commend the Department of Transportation (DOT) for rebuilding three bridges on the Zoo Interchange, but I am also urging the state to finally make the commitment necessary to redo the entire interchange as soon as possible.

After reviewing a forensic study conducted on the Zoo Interchange, DOT has decided to do an emergency rebuild of the following ramps:

1)         Northbound I-894/US 45 through the interchange to north US 45

2)         Southbound US 45 to the eastbound I-94 connector ramp

3)         Northbound I-894/US 45 to the westbound I-94 ramp

All three bridges will cost a total of $12-22 million to rebuild. According to DOT, the construction will be paid for by the savings from the Marquette Interchange. When the entire Zoo Interchange is rebuilt and placed in a new footprint, DOT will tear down these bridges and rebuild them.

It’s still necessary to rebuild the entire Zoo Interchange to address design and traffic flow issues, but these ramps need to be redone immediately. We must maintain safety. We can’t allow bridges to collapse. This is an investment we have to make.

I appreciate DOT's response to the study, but it's time for the state to invest in a permanent solution.  A band-aid approach was not enough… The Zoo requires major surgery. But even the ramp rebuild is a temporary fix. We still need a permanent solution in the form of rebuilding the entire interchange sooner rather than later. We need a commitment from DOT, Governor Doyle and neighboring communities, and we need it now.

According to DOT, there are about two crashes per day on the Zoo, with approximately 30 percent of crashes resulting in injuries. 350,000 cars travel through it each day. The Zoo Interchange opened in the 1960s, making it the oldest and most heavily traveled interchange in the state.

12 COMMENTS

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  1. Performance - Mar 29, 2010 8:54 PM - Report Abuse

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    Jimmy,

    Once again, you are out of touch. At town hall forums, you pledged the Zoo interchange would be rebuilt timely. With your out of control spending and raiding the transportation fund, the bridges are falling down. Every time I am forced to detour the area, I can't help but think about your ineptness in governance. At least you took money from the transportation fund for the unfinished bike trail in West Allis.

  2. RealityCheck - Dec 04, 2009 4:31 PM - Report Abuse

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    Sully, I must give you a little credit here. I like a guy with some real guts. Tell us, did you write this with a straight face? Your boy Doyle and Your party get us in this mess and you try act like you are helping us out.
    Wow.

  3. Santas Elf - Dec 01, 2009 10:15 PM - Report Abuse

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    Hey Sully, I see where the state has only qualified one bidder for this job. Wow, now there's the power of free enterprise and competition at work to ensure that we get the very best deal for our money!

    Tell me, whose hand was greased and how heavily it was greased to make this deal slide through?

    Another real feather in your cap, Sully! We're keeping count.

  4. Nail Bender - Nov 27, 2009 9:11 AM - Report Abuse

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    Hi El gato, all your loaded questions go un answered because they are very reveling. Has Sullivan ever answered anything here or does he just spit in your soup and let you enjoy that like many of Doyles comrads.

    I don't read Sullivans blog very often because it is so tainted and when I have read it , no replys, like most politicians he ignores the people and just votes with the party line with a leftie leash around his neck choaking off oxygen to make the brain go into sleep mode. So there. rant and rave, makes no difference, falls on deaf ears. Have a nice day

  5. vic - Nov 26, 2009 7:55 PM - Report Abuse

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    thanks for the update. I have seen the new signs detouring heavy truck traffic and it has to be a major cost to the shipping industry and to us. it is unfortunate that a plan could not be developed for the redesign of the interchange before this repair is necessary. Hopefully some minor tweaks can be incorporated that will assist with the traffic flow through the interchange.

  6. El gato - Nov 26, 2009 11:27 AM - Report Abuse

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    How did Sullivan vote when the money was being taken from the DOT and given to education in order to buy the WEAC votes?
    How did Sullivan react to I-94 reconstruction between Milwaukee and the State line taking precedence over the Zoo interchange. Seems like the Democrats are quick to avoid taking responsibility for this fiasco, and they may even turn on their "ugly duckling" governor since he's a lame duck now.

  7. STalien - Nov 25, 2009 4:34 PM - Report Abuse

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    Apparently the final Zoo upgrade plans have not yet been released, but the front runner includes at least one "Texas u-turn". The one that concerns me is the Eastbound 84th St. off ramp. Cars exiting 94 will be forced east, all the way to 76th St. before "u turning" all the way back to 84th St. Not a problem really, except there may be a connection at 76th St., allowing anyone planning on heading south or east from the freeway to use 76th St., a residential boulevard in West Allis with a nice planted median and on street parking, instead of 84th St, a major arterial and State Highway.
    Will the State require West Allis to turn 76th into a 4 lane highway to accommodate a possible extra 5000 cars per day? What will this do to a quiet, walkable neighborhood?
    I believe Mayor Devine has already written a letter of opposition to this option.

  8. StubbornOldMan - Nov 25, 2009 1:20 PM - Report Abuse

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    Has anybody else noticed that Senator Sullivan has not offered any opinion as to whether HE THINKS the Zoo Interchange should be rebuilt with a completely new design versus a replacement of the ramps in their exact configuration today? It's no secret that a complete redesign would cost much more than simply replacing the existing roadways. Surely, he must have an opinion.

    There is one bright side however. Since Jim Sullivan and the rest of the State Fair Park Board have shown that they are doing everything they can to kill racing at the Milwaukee Mile, that will lead to less traffic through the Zoo Interchange on race weekends. Those new grandstands will rarely if ever be used again for racing since Senator Sullivan has helped kill NASCAR and IRL racing at the Milwaukee Mile.

    If you doubt what I'm saying, check out this letter that was written to Senator Sullivan and the Board last week. Whatever Jim Sullivan did (or DIDN'T do) sure managed to royally torque off the Giuffre Brothers, don't you think?

    http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/3627/11/3627_1258755272.pdf

    Seems to me like Jim Sullivan and the Board are clearly anti-Business based on what's outlined in this letter. Any comment about this letter, Senator? I didn't think so.

    I'm sure the reason Senator Sullivan helped to kill future racing at the Milwaukee Mile was simply to reduce the overall annual traffic volume through the Zoo Interchange while completely discounting the racing revenue and jobs that would have been created. In that respect, I suppose we owe him our deepest appreciation since his efforts will likely increase the structural life of the Zoo Interchange if/when it is ever rebuilt.

    I was on the Hoan Bridge less than 12 hours before a section of that road fell to the ground a number of years ago. I think it's prudent for me not to tempt fate, so I'll minimize my use of the Zoo Interchange for now.

  9. Nail Bender - Nov 25, 2009 12:05 PM - Report Abuse

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    I agree with Stallis, bad judgement on the part of Doyle who used his polical football to stick it to the taxpayer once again, really bad judgement, now we have to build an interchange that will be thrown away all at taxpayer expense so Doyle could play political foot ball . To hell with the tax payer and frugality much less use your intelegence. Not really happy a what is called a win which is really a big loss to all of us. The scare of the bridge going down is as about as false as it comes. Put up signs, irritate truckers so they get to complain, and rightiously so, just to waste tax payer funds. Those bridges are not going to fall apart anytime soon. What a crock of political dung.

  10. skatemom. - Nov 24, 2009 5:35 PM - Report Abuse

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    Sorry Senator Sullivan, your boy Doyle is the one to blame on this one. He stole the money that we could have used for this project then decided to wait to do it until the I-94 project was complete. He was the one delaying it and now the taxpayer is the one who has to pay.
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