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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > November 30, 2009
Jursik and Sinicki accuse city of seeking delay to Hoan Bridge repairs
Published November 30, 2009 - BizTimes Daily
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Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik and State Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) today accused City of Milwaukee officials of attempting to delay the re-decking of the Hoan Bridge.
Jursik and Sinicki sent BizTimes Milwaukee a copy of a letter to Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi from city engineer Jeffrey Polenske and Jeffrey Mantes, commissioner of the city’s Department of Public Works.
The letter thanks Busalacchi for meeting with city officials recently to discuss the future of the Hoan Bridge, noting that the rehabilitation work for the bridge and the Lake Interchange “are quickly becoming critical.”
The letter further states, “However, it is also our understanding that you remain open to conducting an alternatives analysis that would help determine the most cost effective long term transportation improvement. While the timing of such an analysis may conflict with the timing to start rehabbing the bridge we sense that there may be some minimal rehab effort that could be considered if a viable alternative develops. We are supportive of this approach.”
In the letter, Polenske and Mantes recommend the DOT conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process to assess the options for the Hoan Bridge, including, presumably, the replacement of the bridge with a lower, street-level roadway.
Jursik responded today by saying, “At a September meeting of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Frank Busalacchi promised to begin engineering studies for the re-decking of the Hoan Bridge. The County Board unanimously approved the request for an engineering study, and the County Executive (Scott Walker) agreed.”
Last week, Jursik presented a petition with 8,079 signatures of residents supporting the Hoan, along with a letter again calling for an engineering study, to the governor’s Milwaukee office.
Supervisors, mayors, alderpersons and other community leaders from the south shore and beyond signed the letter.
“Coalition members have been chided for suggesting that a conspiracy exists within the DOT to remove the Hoan. In spite of overwhelming support for the Hoan within the larger community and the transportation corridor the Hoan supports, this letter from the City of Milwaukee once again shows the arrogance and persistence of those who seek to delay this project,” Jursik said. “This letter is a recipe for delay and interruption of this work through the guise of an environmental impact study. If this continues, the Hoan will become another Zoo Interchange fiasco. One way to nip a conspiracy in the bud is to bring it into the light of day.”
“We’ve done a lot of work on this issue, now we find the City of Milwaukee has been meeting in private to delay the studies,” Sinicki added. “This is a disservice to the citizens I represent in Bay View and the south side of Milwaukee.”
