FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2021
CONTACT:
Laurel Cavalluzzo, Marketing Advisor
laurel@madisonmc.com, 703-629-5693
Latest TDA On The Go Podcast Features MMAC’s Steve Baas on the Importance of the I-94 East-West Project
MADISON, WI – On the latest TDA On The Go podcast, Executive Director Debby Jackson talks with Steve Baas, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. The two discuss the significance of the I-94 East-West project to Milwaukee, the region, and the state. Baas also explains how the I-94 East-West Econ Connect coalition has brought together a diverse group to advocate for improving this vital stretch of roadway.
“Doing nothing is not an option,” Baas said. “It’s the most dangerous stretch of highway in the interstate system in Wisconsin. Leaving the corridor in its 1960 form has human costs in terms of safety, and economic costs in terms of moving goods and services throughout the region. But it also has very hard dollar costs because what we will be doing is throwing good money after bad by paying for short-term patches, rather than long-term improvement.”
Baas notes that the project benefits Milwaukee residents as well as businesses and tourists visiting the region.
I-94 East-West Econ Connect is a coalition of community development organizations, businesses, institutions, and other entities unified around the need to improve the safety and capacity of the I-94 East-West Corridor to maximize its economic and societal benefits for the region and the state.
“The I-94 East-West project is about building communities, but it is also about economic development, commercial property value, and the ability to attract and expand jobs here in the region and throughout the state,” explained Baas. “The diversity of the Econ Connect group reflects the ripple effect of the I-94 East-West project.”
In July 2020, Governor Tony Evers announced the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will seek federal approval to resume the I-94 East-West Corridor Project.
The podcast is available on all popular podcasting platforms and via this link: http://onthego.tdawisconsin.org/.
About TDA
From the buses in Racine to the Port of Green Bay to the rail lines in Superior to the Waukesha County Airport to the roads we use every day, Wisconsin’s transportation network is the key to connecting goods to market and people to jobs. Founded in 1971, the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin promotes the vitality and safety of the state’s transportation system, including public transit systems, airports, railroads, commercial ports, and roads. TDA’s members include businesses, labor unions, citizen groups, units of government, and individuals.
Contact us at: www.tdawisconsin.org and Twitter handle @TDAWisconsin.