Category Archives: News

One more problem for Columbia-St. Mary’s?

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Columbia-St. Mary’s built a new Milwaukee hospital on the city’s East Side, then went into full cost-cutting, job-cutting mode as its other facilities lost market share and patients to the never-ending expansion of its major competitor, Aurora Health Care.

And now even Columbia-St. Mary’s spankin’ new Milwaukee flagship — open just a year — is already showing signs of wear. The facade (paint job?)  on the the north building — the curvy one — is either badly discoloring in spots or is chipping away. This cannot be the lifespan Columbia-St. Mary’s thought it would get out of the exterior aesthetics when the checks for the new place were being written.

WisDOT’s new Zoo Interchange plan includes expansion; hearings scheduled

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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will hold a hearing March 22 and March 23 on one of those things Gov. Scott Walker thinks is more important than education or transit — a bigger Zoo Interchange.

WisDOT has revised its proposal for the Interchange, reducing the estimated price tag from$1.9 billion to a mere $1.7 billion, plus about $65 million for alterations to nearby streets. (Earlier estimates put reconstruction and expansion costs at up to $2.3 billion — WisDOT doesn’t explain how the projected cost dropped by $400 million.)

The new plan, called the Reduced Impact Alternative, includes freeway expansion. From the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement:

While an 8-lane Reduced Impacts Alternative would result in less efficient traffic operations (and increased congestion) through the design year than any of the previously-developed Modernization Alternatives, the reduction is not significant (see Section 3.3). A 6-lane version of this alternative would not provide acceptable traffic operations (delay, level of service), and therefore is not offered as a reasonable alternative.

Under the old plans, WisDOT would need to acquire 6 to 32 residences for reconstruction and expansion. The revised plan calls for the acquisition of eight homes, in the form of one multi-family apartment building three businesses. The work on nearby streets would lead to the acquisition of one commercial building containing two businesses, according to WisDOT documents.

The new plan greatly reduces the impacts around 84th St.

The old plans are still included in WisDOT’s alternatives for reconstruction, but it’s pretty clear which road the agency is traveling down.

The hearings on the new plan will be on March 22, 2011, 2-7 p.m. and March 23, 2011, 4-8 p.m. at State Fair Park, Tommy Thompson Youth Center, gate 5, 640 S. 84th St., West Allis (Milwaukee County Transit System Route 67).

In the neighborhood: the freeway project in the coming days

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From the Wisconsin Department of Transportation:

Construction update March 4 –March 13:
I-94 East – West Project update for Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties

All closures are weather-dependent and subject to change.

MILWAUKEE and WAUKESHA COUNTIES

Friday 3/4/11: Overnight single right lane closure I-94 EB from STH 16 to Milwaukee County Line.  I-94 WB left lane closed from 32nd Street to 70th Street until March 6th.

Saturday 3/5/11: Overnight double left lane closure I-94 WB from 32nd Street to 70th Street (11pm – 10am). Closure includes Full Closure of I-94 WB exits to 35th Street, Mitchell Blvd and 68th Street, 70th Street entrance ramp to I-94 WB, the Stadium Interchange system ramps from I-94 WB to HWY 41 NB, I-94 WB to Miller Park Way SB, HWY 41 SB to I-94 WB, and Miller Park Way NB to I-94 WB.  There will also be a very brief closure of the Marquette Interchange System Ramps from I-43 NB to I-94 WB and I-43 SB to I-94 WB.

Sunday 3/6/11: Overnight Double Left lane closure I-94 WB from 32nd Street to 70th Street (7pm – 5:30am). Closure includes Full Closure of I-94 WB exits to 35th Street and 68th Street, 70th Street entrance ramp to I-94 WB, the Stadium Interchange system ramps from I-94 WB to HWY 41 NB, I-94 WB to Miller Park Way SB, HWY 41 SB to I9-4 WB, and Miller Park Way NB to I-94 WB.  There will also be a very brief closure of the Marquette Interchange System Ramps from I-43 NB to I-94 WB and I-43 SB to I-94 WB.  Long Term right lane closure I-94 WB 32nd Street to 70th Street in effect 10am.

Monday 3/7/11: Overnight single right lane closure I-94 EB STH 16 to Milwaukee County Line.  Overnight double right lane closure I-94 WB 32nd Street to 70th Street.

Tuesday 3/8/11: Overnight single right lane Closure I-94 EB STH 16 to Milwaukee County Line.

Wednesday 3/9/11: Overnight single right lane closure I-94 EB STH 16 to Milwaukee County Line.  Overnight double right lane closure I-94 WB 32nd Street to 70th Street[.

Thursday 3/10/11: Overnight single right lane closure I-94 EB STH 16 to Milwaukee County Line.  Closure includes Full Closure of County F entrance ramp to I-94 EB. Overnight double right lane closure I-94 WB 32nd Street to 70th Street.

Friday 3/11/11: Overnight single right lane closure I-94 EB STH 16 to Milwaukee County Line.

Saturday 3/12/11: Only Long Term Closures in effect.

Sunday 3/13/11: Long Term right lane closure I-94 EB STH 16 to Milwaukee County Line in effect at 7pm.  Overnight double right lane closure I-94 WB and I-94 EB Milwaukee County Line to STH 16 and I-94 WB entrance and exit ramp at Moorland Road.

The Walker budget — Part 2

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Here is a presentation on the impacts of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget on Milwaukee Public Schools, as given by the district Finance folks during Thursday night’s Strategic Planning and Budget Committee meeting.

A cut of a cool $74 million.

Ald. Michael Murphy, meanwhile, said that his very rough, very back-of-the-envelope estimate is that the governor’s budget will be a $30 million hit to the city.

What if there IS a strike?

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This is part 2 of “Points Well Made” from Monday’s meeting of the Common Council’s Judiciary and Legislation Committee. The committee was discussing Gov. Scott Walker’s brutal proposal to strip collective bargaining rights from public employees.

Ald. Robert Bauman: “What’s the remedy if all our forestry and sanitation workers strike with the next big snowfall?”

City Labor Negotiator Troy Hamblin: “The new law says if they’re gone for three days we have the ability to terminate them.”

Bauman: “Then what’s our remedy?”

(Laughter)

Committee Chairman Ald. Ashanti Hamilton: “Cause the snow is still there.”

Hamblin: “I don’t know. I just — I don’t know.”

City lobbyist Jennifer Gonda: “That is exactly the point I was making. There are some practical implications here that, frankly, weren’t well thought out in the drafting of the bill.”