City to back interstate option - Beloit Daily News: News http://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/city-to-back-interstate-option/artic... City to back interstate option By Shaun Zinck
[email protected] | Posted: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 4:00 pm The City of Beloit will officially support an option for the reconstruction of the interchange at Interstate 39/90 and Interstate 43 tonight during the city council meeting. City officials are asking councilors to support the options that build a connection between Milwaukee Road and Gateway Boulevard. There are five potential options that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has designed. The options are designated 1A, 2A, 1B, 2B and 3B. The main difference between the 1 and 2 groups is the Gateway to Milwaukee connection. The project would create a more free-flowing access between Interstate 43 and Interstate 39/90. Vehicles on the interstates traveling both directions would be able to continue at highway speeds when moving from one interstate to the other. The design will increase safety over the current cloverleaf configuration at the Interstate 39/90 interchange. Interstate 43 also ends at Milwaukee Road with no off ramp, which increases the likelihood of an accident with vehicles traveling at interstate speeds coming up to a traffic light. The city has long supported the connection between Gateway and Milwaukee, and officials have said in the past the road will help workers in the business district access the restaurants and shops more easily than the other options. The council will vote to support options 2A and 2B. According to the city council packet, the engineering staff reviewed all five options, and found “alternative 2...to be in the best long term interest of the city.” Option 2A will cost about $96 million in total costs including structure, non-structure and real estate acquisition.