The I-94 East-West Corridor expansion project in Milwaukee, which aims to widen the freeway to eight lanes and reconstruct the Stadium Interchange, may now take 10 years to complete instead of the originally planned eight years, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The project, which spans from 16th to 70th streets, has already snarled traffic for nearly a year and is still in its early stages.
"It seems like there's never a time when traffic isn't bad, to be honest. It's a mess," said motorist Jeanne Young Wednesday.
A new report from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation attributes the potential delay to construction price increases, which have added $60 million to the cost. Drivers were asked if they were surprised to hear of the price hike.
"Of course not. Because, even as a homeowner, when you get a quote for something, it always ends up being more than you anticipated, so definitely not," Young said.
The Transportation Projects Commission report states specifically the reason for the cost hike as "Increased real estate and construction costs primarily due to updated let (bid) estimates and impacts from utility relocation delays."
In an email to WISN 12 News, DOT spokesman Dan Sellers said, "The key word in that excerpt is potential delay. This report is a snapshot of scenarios based on current funding levels."
He emphasized that the additional two years are not a certainty.
The total cost of the project is now estimated at $1.71 billion. Drivers and residents near the project area are concerned about the additional impacts of a delay, including increased traffic detouring through neighborhoods.
"Any time there's more traffic, whether they've got kids or not, and just the noise and the congestion, just adds to the frustration of living in those neighborhoods," driver Dwight Morgan said.
The Department of Transportation secretary suggested in the report that the two-year delay could potentially be avoided if lawmakers shift funding from future budget years to the next four years.
READ MORE:Milwaukee's I-94 expansion project may face two-year delay, extending timeline to 2035
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