President Joe Biden has announced about $40 million in "Reconnecting Communities" money is coming to Wisconsin.
There will be a major re-do of nearly three miles of 6th Street on the city’s north and south sides. Also, there will be what the White House calls a “re-imagining” of the National Avenue interchange with I-94 and 43. Plus, there's money for an overpass in Madison.
For the Milwaukee projects:
If you’re over a certain age, let’s say about 65 or 70 years old, you may have vivid memories of what life was like in Milwaukee before there were expressways. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milw) remembers before houses were torn down to build parts of what became I-43 and the beginnings of what was going to be the Park West Freeway.
“You know, I’m old enough to have gone to church on 5th and Galena and being able to walk there from my house on 11th and Highland. Can’t do that now, because of the Park West Freeway and the destruction of our community, and our sense of community and being together," Moore said Wednesday, prior to President Biden speaking at Hillside Boys and Girls Club in Milwaukee.
Raynetta "Ray" Hill of Historic King Drive Business Improvement District No. 8 says it wasn’t just the building of freeways that led to as many as 17,000 houses being removed and many small businesses. Major streets like N. 6th and Walnut got bigger. Hill says that meant the end of her grandfather’s restaurant at 619 W. Walnut.
“Because of racially-charged urban renewal projects in the 1960’s aimed at suppressing this community, his restaurant was demolished when 6th Street was widened," Hill said.
Hill said her grandfather had to rebuild his business several blocks away — guided, she said — by his tenacity.
Tenacity, plus having to sell their home to finance the new business, which led to stress that sent Hill’s grandmother to the hospital for an extended period of time.
At Hillside, Hill introduced Biden, who said he wants to change the history of disconnected neighborhoods. Biden said it wasn’t just Milwaukee where a lot of people and businesses had to move.
“I come from a city, Wilmington, Delaware, where the same thing happened. We’re in a situation where I-95 is four lanes going through a community that was all African-American. And it just split it. And it’s (I-95) now about 50, 60, 70 yards wide," the Biden said.
Biden said the interstate highway system did provide another way to connect the U.S. coast to coast, and transformed the way people traveled.
Milwaukee has had second thoughts and tore down the Park East Freeway. The city and state DOT are also looking at other potential removal projects. Biden announced funding for a different program that will re-do 132 streets, bridges and other transportation corridors in 42 states.
“And in the process delivering environmental justice by re-connecting disadvantaged communities and neighborhoods. New opportunities for future prosperity and many possibilities,” Biden said.
The nationwide price tag is -$3.3 billion.
Thirty-six million dollars will come to Milwaukee to transform 6th Street from North Ave. to National Ave., into what’s called a Complete Street, with dedicated infrastructure for walking, biking and transit, as well as tree canopy and more ways to keep rain and snow runoff out of the sewer system.
Much of N. 6th is in the district of Milwaukee Ald. Milele Coggs.
“The hope is it will help every citizen who goes up and down 6th Street get around a little easier. Plus, it will help with the connectivity of north to south as well," Coggs said.
Besides the work on S. 6th St., the near south side will also see $2 million worth of changes with the National Avenue interchange on 94/43 near Walker Square Park. Federal officials say they want to hear community concerns, do technical analysis and create a collective vision.
The south side projects already have an early thumbs up from Darryl Morin of the group Forward Latino. “I keep coming back to economic development, which is really a key thing because a lot of those areas are economically disadvantaged. So, we’re really glad the President’s making this investment," Morin says.
The third project Biden announced is one million dollars for the Perry Street Overpass over the Beltline Highway in Madison.
The Wisconsin Republican Party says the president should have instead offered Wisconsin working families "an apology for Bidenomics — his economic policies."
Polls say Biden is in a close reelection fight here with likely Republican nominee Donald Trump. So, while in Milwaukee, Biden also held a fundraiser and visited his new statewide campaign headquarters. A media pool report says Biden recorded interviews with two Black radio stations or networks, and that several dozen pro-Palestinian protestors chanted outside the campaign office.
Biden was also slated to stay overnight at the Pfister Hotel before flying to Michigan later Thursday morning.
