Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, speaking at the recent BizTimes Media 2050 event, said he was “hopeful” for expansion of Interstate 94 to three lanes in each direction west to Johnson Creek and for expansion of Highway 164 to two lanes in each direction north to the Waukesha-Washington county line, and perhaps to Highway 60
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, speaking at the recent BizTimes Media 2050 event, said he was "hopeful" for expansion of Interstate 94 to three lanes in each direction west to Johnson Creek and for expansion of Highway 164 to two lanes in each direction north to the Waukesha-Washington county line, and perhaps to Highway 60 in Slinger, by 2050.
“We’re going to need those transportation hubs because we’re going to be looking at bringing more people in on a workforce day,” Farrow said. “Right now, about 20% of our workforce enters Waukesha County every day from different counties. And we’re going to see that number continue to grow.”
The Federal Highway Administration recently approved the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s plans to expand I-94 to four lanes in each direction for the 3.5-mile stretch of the freeway between 16th Street and 70th Street in Milwaukee. Construction for the $1.2 billion project is expected to begin next year.
I-94 is three lanes in each direction from Milwaukee through much of Waukesha County, up to Prospect Avenue (County Highway SS) in Pewaukee, where it narrows to two lanes in each direction until expanding back to three lanes in each direction at Cottage Grove in Dane County.
It’s about 23 miles from Pewaukee to Johnson Creek.
Highway 164 is two lanes in each direction north of Waukesha up to Good Hope Road in Sussex, and one lane in each direction north of that. County Line Road (County Highway Q) is about 3.5 miles north of Sussex and Highway 60 is about 12.5 miles north in Slinger.
Waukesha County has a population of 410,769 and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission estimates the county’s population will be 481,369 in 2050, Farrow said.
“As we look out into 2050 we think the population is going to be about 480,000 to 500,000, right in that ballpark,” he said.
The largest projected population growth is in Menomonee Falls, Muskego, Sussex, Waukesha and Lake Country, with a 11,000-17,000 increase expected in each area by 2050, Farrow said.
The biggest population increase will be in people 65 and older, Farrow said.
“Our 65 and older population is going to skyrocket,” he said. “That’s going to be an area of challenge as we move forward in a number of different ways.”
Waukesha County currently has 167,392 households, which is expected to grow to 195,927 in 2050. There are 326,900 people employed in the county currently, which is expected to grow to 367,900 in 2050, Farrow said.
Waukesha County has a total size of 371,532 acres, but 153,907 acres or 41.4%, is not developable, including waterways and roads.
As of 2020, 102,144 acres of the county’s 217,625 acres of developable land has been developed. That about 47%. But much of the land in the county that still could be developed is difficult to do so because it lacks sewer and water infrastructure, Farrow said.
“If we’re gonna hit the marks that we’re looking at for our households we’re going to have to really consider what densities we’re comfortable with in the municipalities,” he said. “Especially those that are served by water and sewer, to get to these numbers.”
Watch the video below to see Farrow’s full remarks.
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