The J-T's article today on the expansion of Hwy 38 seems to indicate the DOT is looking at the reconfiguration, rather than just an expansion of the existing road.
This is GREAT news for Caledonia. Not only would the new road improve safety via better visibility (better topography - fewer hills), the new road will give easy access for trucks to the back of the Caledonia Industrial Park. Easing the truck traffic currently routed through residential areas would obviously improve safety in those areas, but it would also give a huge boost to the marketability of the industrial park. In fact, the lack of easy access to the park has served as a deterrent to attracting industry.
I, for one, have my fingers crossed the DOT and the new administration will go ahead with the new route, rather than just widening an already dangerous and antiquated road.
One other comment - this route has been discussed for some time and, from what I remember, was slated to begin much sooner than the 2016 date given in the J-T article. However, I believe this is one of the road projects that was tossed onto the scrap heap when Governor Doyle raided the transportation fund to balance the budget in 2006 or 2008.
3 comments:
I read the article. I agree with many of the comments posted. For my money, I would rather see extension of 794 into Caledonia/Racine and better east/west access to I-94. Just my opinion though.
Anon,
There are people who agree with extending 794 and better e/w access to I-94 and are working on both of these items. Why not let the village board know how you feel? Our current poor highway access is an obstacle to our economic prosperity for the entire metro Racine area.
Robin Vos's office just sent out a letter stating that the start date for the Hwy 38 expansion has been pushed back to 2018-2021. The letter mentions expanding the highway in a reasonable time frame.
I wonder how Vos feels about 794? The Racine area can't wait seven years+. Funny how Burlington already has a bypass in place with a metro population of 30,000 while northern Racine County has a population of 61,000 and has garbage highway access.
I am pursing this with the DOT, it might make for an interesting article in a national publication.
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