I-39/90 NOW Coalition: Shows need, funding for i-39/90 expansion

Contact: Dan Cunningham, Forward Janesville

(608) 757-3160

(JANESVILLE, Wis.)—State legislators and area business leaders called for an expansion of Interstate 39/90 between Beloit and Madison to six lanes in order to create jobs, ensure safety and build stronger communities at a rally held Monday at the Holiday Inn Express and Janesville Conference Center.

The event was organized by Forward Janesville’s I-39/90 NOW Coalition and featured Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, who last month called on the Department of Transportation to move forward on the project.

“It’s critical that we build on state efforts to create new job opportunities, and the expansion of I-39/90 holds great economic development potential,” Speaker Sheridan said. “With a strong coalition of city, regional and state leaders who share this vision, I think that we can make the I-39/90 expansion a reality, strengthening our economy, both during the construction phase and far into the future as we see infrastructure improvements attract new businesses.”

According to the DOT, the average daily traffic of the 45.5-mile stretch approaches 60,000 vehicles a day, with a projected increase of 50 percent by 2030.

Dan Cunningham, Forward Janesville’s vice president of government relations and education, explained that the difference between all of the funding available for major projects and what has been allocated to current projects will provide excesses that can help fund the I-39/90 project. By 2015, an extra $93.7 million will be available for new projects, Cunningham said.

“We’re hoping after today our political leaders see how serious the need for this project is and that they take steps to enumerate it as soon as possible,” Cunningham said. “The need is there, the funding is there—it’s a no-brainer.”

More information on this project can be found at http://www.congestioncorridor.com.

Forward Janesville, Inc. (FJI) is a non-profit association of businesses, individuals, and other non-profit organizations whose mission is to lead private sector economic and community development efforts to ensure the continued health and prosperity of business and industry in the Janesville area.