The civil lawsuit seeks to block the expansion of I-94 in Milwaukee. Opponents want more public transport

A civil rights lawsuit aimed at blocking the planned expansion of Interstate 94 on Milwaukee’s west side will soon be filed, advocates say.

That lawsuit, which will be filed Monday in U.S. District Court, will be similar to one filed in 2017 by the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP, the John Muir chapter of the Sierra Club and the Milwaukee Inner-city congregations Allied for Hope against the Federal Highway Administration , US Dept. Transportation and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The 2017 lawsuit alleged that those agencies did not include public transit in plans to expand the freeway, despite the documented need to substantially expand public transit to ensure equity.

It also argued that the project would likely exacerbate racial segregation in the Milwaukee area and have negative effects on air quality and water resources.

The lawsuit was dismissed later that year after the proposed expansion of the highway, supported by then-Gov. Scott Walker, was canceled due to lack of state funding.

The project was revived in 2020 under Gov. Tony Evers, and received Federal Highway Administration approval in March. That triggers federal funding for most of the $1.74 billion project.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope and other opponents of the freeway expansion have asked the federal agency to conduct a civil rights review of the project.

MICAH and other groups say the project’s benefits favor suburban commuters over black and brown people who live near the freeway — many of whom don’t own cars. They also say negative environmental impacts will disproportionately affect black people.

The review is still ongoing. The new lawsuit is to be filed Monday, attorney Dennis Grzezinski said, and will be largely similar to the 2017 lawsuit.

The reconstruction project is to widen I-94 from six lanes to eight lanes between 16th and 70th streets and is needed to reduce congestion and improve safety, according to WisDOT and business groups supporting the expansion. Opponents say a rebuilt six-lane highway would be large enough to safely accommodate the traffic.

WisDOT says it has worked to minimize the project’s impact on the community. These include relocating one family whose home is being bought and relocating six businesses.

WisDOT is also planning several nearby bicycle and pedestrian improvements that will take place between 2026 and 2032. This includes connecting the Hank Aaron State Trail with the Oak Leaf Trail.

Construction on the I-94 project is slated to begin in late 2025 and last through 2031.

If that work goes ahead, opponents want WisDOT to spend additional funds on mass transit, bike lanes and trails to provide alternatives to driving.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at [email protected] and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.

Subscribe to receive the BusinessWatch email newsletter.

This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Civil lawsuit seeks to block Milwaukee’s I-94 expansion