By Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Fred Upton, R-Mich., of St. Joseph, said he has secured $14 million to widen I-94 in the highway bill that passed the House last week.
Upton secured funding in H.R. 3550, the "Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users." The bipartisan measure overwhelmingly passed the House by a vote of 357 to 65. The $275 billion measure, generated from the federal gas tax, will provide funding for the nation's highway and transit programs for the next six years.
Upton's top transportation priority is the widening of I-94 from four lanes to six lanes between 12th Street (west of US 31) to Sprinkle Road, a total of just under 7 miles. That portion of the freeway has one of the highest traffic volumes for a 4-lane freeway in the entire state of Michigan. Widening I-94 will greatly improve quality of life for the area's motorists.
Upton was previously successful in securing nearly $4 million to assist the Michigan Department of Transportation in completing preliminary engineering of widening the I-94 corridor. Without this funding, the long overdue project would be decades away from completion.