Local officials agree time has come for project
By Tom Nelson
If you’ve been to Chicago, you’re familiar with the “Magnificent Mile,” a lakefront stretch of Michigan Avenue that includes some of the world’s most valuable real estate. While you might not see the relationship between that pricey strip of asphalt and Outagamie County’s own Highway 15, you might be surprised to know the two have much common.
Both are business magnets. Sure, more dollars change hands in Chicago, but commerce is commerce, and it’s as important here as it is in Illinois. That’s one of the reasons I support the State Highway 15 expansion.
Locating businesses on highways spurs commerce. Gas stations and restaurants are among the more obvious examples. Some businesses locate along highways because of space requirements for parking and loading, as well as convenience.
In a recent census of business firms outside the central city in one metropolitan area, more than 18 percent were classified in the highway-oriented category. If the economy were a living body, highways are the arteries that channel the life’s blood of the economy, namely consumers.
The National Cooperative Highway Research Program analyzed 11 social and economic effects of highway improvements, including a road-widening similar to that of Highway 15. The program found a link between the long-term health of businesses and the ease with which travelers may get to a specific destination.
Road capacity improvements reduce travel times, which help to expand local markets and increase productivity. Every business owner in the area understands that.
Here’s another reason: It’s what the people want. Every affected community has passed a resolution calling for it. I recently joined a conference of public officials that included local representatives from Greenville to New London. All agree the time has come. We asked “R-U 4-15?” The answer was unanimous!
Most important, an expanded Highway 15 is a safer place to travel. Commuting shouldn’t be dangerous. Two-lane roads with high speeds and twists and turns don’t allow for any margin of error, especially when school buses and 18-wheelers are in the mix.
In the previous decade, there were 152 crashes in Hortonia, 630 in Greenville, 220 in Hortonville and 451 in Grand Chute. From those, more than 400 injuries — eight fatal — were reported. That alone is unacceptable, but when you consider that Highway 15 is the region’s primary route to school, you understand the urgency.
So, “R-U 4-15?” I am. I hope U R 2.
Tom Nelson is county executive for Outagamie County.