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Zoo Interchange shutdown inspires fears for system (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Send to friendBy Dave Umhoefer and Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel
The emergency shutdown of the heavily traveled northbound U.S. Highway 45 bridge through the Zoo Interchange could presage problems with other interchanges and spans unless Wisconsin gets its act together, two Assembly Transportation Committee members said Sunday.
"Everybody needs to go back to the drawing board and decide what our priorities are right now," said Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee). "We could end up like Detroit. It's a possibility. We're all concerned about it."
One of her Republican colleagues, Rep. Jeff Stone of Greendale, predicted more failures in the southeast region if state government can't figure out a way to finance expensive and timely repairs.
"The problem will compound," Stone said. "It's just symptomatic that government is trying to do too much. This is a very core service."
The bridge carrying northbound traffic - 42,000 cars and trucks a day - through the busiest freeway interchange in the state was closed Friday after engineers found cracks in it. Meanwhile, scheduled work continues to progress on temporary bridges to keep traffic flowing until the interchange is rebuilt completely. State officials said they would be able to provide a better timetable this week for when the various projects will be done and how long the detours will last.
Sinicki suggested consideration of a slowdown in the I-94 south freeway reconstruction project, which runs through her district.
That $1.9 billion, eight-year job, now in its second year, was selected as a priority over redoing the Zoo Interchange, including Highway 45. Some officials are now second-guessing that decision.
Sinicki defended that call and said northbound and southbound I-94 is a major thoroughfare worthy of attention, especially the Plainfield Curve, which is now under reconstruction. But she suggested that given the dangerous conditions in the Zoo Interchange, that some thought should be given to priorities.
"I'm just grateful it wasn't a major catastrophe like in Minnesota," Sinicki said, referring to the deadly 2007 I-35 bridge collapse. "Thank God they were watching it and had the intelligence to close it down."
Stone said he didn't see how the two projects could be reordered now. The Zoo Interchange plan has not been drawn up yet.
Nobody likes to think about new revenue sources for transportation, but tollways, a higher gas tax or higher vehicle registration fees are all potential options to help close a huge gap between needs and available financing, Stone said. The problem is the public is skeptical, after Gov. Jim Doyle's raids on the transportation fund, that new money would actually mean more road work, Stone said.
The Doyle administration, citing a desire to protect education and other needs, diverted $1.2 billion from the transportation fund. Borrowed funds replaced some of that, but the net drop was $434 million, according to Legislative Fiscal Bureau reports.
Wisconsin is hardly alone in facing an infrastructure repair crisis. Nationally, only half of the nation's roads are in good condition, and urban centers have the roughest roads, according to a 2009 study released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The state Department of Transportation decided in 2004 that I-94 south through Racine and Kenosha counties would be done before the Zoo Interchange. At the time, both freeway sections were outdated and deteriorating, roughly 50 years after they were completed.
Wisconsin DOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi laid out the rationale for the decision in a letter Jan. 18, 2005, to state Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield) and then Waukesha County Executive Dan Finley.
Busalacchi wrote that the pavement on I-94 south of Milwaukee had been resurfaced three times and that a full-scale replacement was needed.
The letter does not mention the condition of bridges in the Zoo Interchange and deficiencies in that key connection point. It is the busiest interchange in the state, with an average daily traffic count of 345,000 vehicles.
Meanwhile Sunday, a variety of agencies said they were gearing up for Monday rush-hour traffic, the most severe test yet of the detours put in place Friday after cracks in the northbound bridge caused state authorities to close it.
"Monday's going to be lot of traffic," State Patrol Capt. Varla Bishop said. "It's a new week. I'm real concerned that people get through there safely."
The State Patrol, the Milwaukee County sheriff's office and other agencies said they would add staffing to make sure that happens.
Ryan Luck, southeast freeways construction director for the state Department of Transportation, said no accidents had been reported in the construction zone as of Sunday afternoon.
"We are seeing some increased congestion on northbound Highway 100 but not to the point that it's overly problematic," Luck said.
Luck emphasized that after 5 a.m. Monday, the Beloit and Oklahoma on-ramps to northbound 894 will be open. They were closed for part of the weekend.
All motorists should plan alternate routes and additional time to get to work, Luck said.
The Zoo Interchange has been under scrutiny since summer, when the state restricted the loads trucks can carry on three bridges in the interchange. Then in November, the state announced a novel plan to rapidly replace the three bridges with temporary structures in hopes of avoiding long road closings.
Enforcing the lower weight limits proved difficult because of traffic volumes and the limited stretch of road to work with. Sensors installed in the roadway confirmed that overweight trucks were common.
The State Patrol had two truck inspectors working the bridge area. They issued 57 tickets in a recent two-week period for overweight trucks on the northbound span, said State Patrol Sgt. Michele Martino. The ticketed trucks averaged about 15,000 pounds over the 60,000-pound limit imposed last summer. Fines averaged about $1,700, she said.
That's more citations than usual, but a drop in the bucket compared with the number of violators.
A DOT official said last week that about 1,600 trucks exceeding the 60,000-pound limit went over the bridge each week.
