If God exists, God is certainly an ironist. This week's evidence: KJAM runs a blip on local boosters' continued hopes for adding two lanes to Highway 34 from Lake Madison through Colman to I-29. KJAM says "Highway 34 Four the Future" chairman John Goeman hopes any upcoming economic stimulus package would include 14 miles of concrete for Lake and Moody Counties.
Note: the biggest names behind this group—Goeman, Russell Olson, Jerry Johnson—are all leading local Republicans. Republican Governor Mike Rounds has placed the four-laner on his lengthy list of things for which we don't have the money. Local Republicans are thus pinning their hopes on a big government solution, an economic stimulus package to build infrastructure... which is exactly what Democratic President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama is proposing.
No wonder Obama won Lake and Moody Counties! Better paint that big eagle blue, John! ;-)
(Note: infrastructure stimulus is also what those darn European leftists in France, Germany, and Sweden are up to.)
Update 20:40 CST: So's Australia.)
We do not need a four lane highway all the way to the interstate. We need to fix highway 34 east of the interstate and west of Madison. A four lane road is not necessary or pragmatic. A four lane road is a waste of taxpayers money. We do not need to increase the national debt so that a few politicians can feel better about themselves.
ReplyDeleteGo west towards Chamberlain on I-90 and you'll find holes in the roadway.
I'm not against investing in infrastructure, but let's get real: Highway 34 to I-29 does not have enough traffic to justify a four lane road. It doesn't matter how many fancy charts or graphs you put up. Compare the Highway 34 traffic to two lane roads up by the Twin Cities.
It is a community safety issue, not a dream of just three people.
ReplyDeleteOne day soon, a semi tractor trailer loaded with corn will turn in front of someone or traffic will stop unexpectedly and cause a tragic accident near Wentworth, or perhaps a Lake Madison boater will stop to turn on Johnson's Point causing a pile-up. Who knows what the trigger will be.
Four lanes may have averted the recent bus accident where a DSU student fell asleep and hit the casino bus head-on. I really don't think any of the 4 for 34 promoters have any political reward in mind. They just care about our future.
Anon 9:43 is basically saying, "Don't confuse me with the truth or the facts, my mind is already made up!" Can't do much about that.
What does being a republican have to do with anything where highway 34 is concerned? Are you saying when former Governor Kneip rebuilt concrete highway 14 from Brookings to his hometown of Arlington a few years ago, that wasn't a good idea just because he was a democrat? There's a lot of four-lane going on there too and back then, the traffic numbers didn't support the project on highway 14. It was Kneip personal pork. The promoters are saying that highway 34 has more traffic than many proposed projects and existing 4-lane state highways, and should move up the ladder of importance for safety reasons. Political party has nothing to do with the Colman to Madison project.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that many roads are in far worse shape than Highway 34 between Madison and I-29.
ReplyDeleteWhat about those safety issues?
Cory:
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head when you pointed out that we don't have the money for this project.
Thank God that the SD Constitition forces lawmakers to have a balanced budget otherwise we would be facing the same budget deficits surrounding states are now dealing with.
Remember that SD gets far more money back from the federal gov't than we pay in.
Highway 81 North from Madison to Brookings County is probably the worst stretch of road in the state. Fix that, then worry about 34.
ReplyDeleteGuess what anon 11:18...Highway 81 doesn't matter. We have to have that 4 lane Hiway 34 so we can have a smoother drive from Sioux Falls to homes on Lake Madison.
ReplyDeleteSecondary roads isolate a community and limit economic development. The highway study was completed with some numbers posted here: http://madisonworks.com/News/Details.aspx?id=39. People say years ago Madison rejected a 4 lane road that held the community back. It sure seems like a right step to help bring in new employers and create jobs. No? John Hess
ReplyDeleteI can't see where a four lane road will bring more business to Madison. I don't think that is the reason many businesses left Madison lately or that we have been unable to attract new businesses.
ReplyDeleteAs far as safety, a two lane road is a safety issue no matter where it is, not just this proposed stretch. There are lots of accidents that could be prevented if all roads were four lanes. That's a given.
The point is we don't have the money to do it. If we do later, fine. Unwise spending is how our economy got in this mess; don't add to it.
Highway 81 is scheduled for next year, and I agree, is a terrible road at this time. Widening Highway 34 will be an economic and safety benefit to all resident of Madison, Lake Madison, Wentworth, Colman and travelers on 34.
ReplyDeleteI cannot see how adding two more lanes to 34 will make it any safer. The road is smooth and the grade is flat. Adding turning lanes at major intersections would be far cost effective.
ReplyDeleteRemember that accident rates increase with speed and 4 lane highways have a 70 mph speed limit in SD.
If we want more safety we could simple lower the current speed limit to 55 from the Chester Corner to Madison.
Some of these negative commenters sound like the same bunch of do-gooders who kept I-29 from passing near Madison back in the 1950's. "We don't care about no future! We don't care about no development! We don't care about no growth! Just give us some of that old time religion." Visionary, simply visionary!
ReplyDeleteIf you're curious about what a 4-lane road can do for economic development, just look at Brookings... Daktronics, Larson, 3M, Rainbow Play Systems... Do you think those companies would have moved to Brookings, had there only been a 2-lane road?
ReplyDeleteRight now the GROWING areas of the state are going to get funding priority for highway projects. Sioux Falls, Rapid City, the northern hills areas, not Madison.
ReplyDeleteAnd who's to say WE can't be part of that growing area with a massive infrastructure upgrade... like a 4-lane Highway 34? We have the people, the education opportunites... why not Madison?
ReplyDeleteGee, that sounds like a slogan... "Why Not Madison?" What do you think... make up a couple dozen T-shirts and have area business leaders wear them?
Careful, Jackrabit1: "Why not?" Jerry Johnson floated "Why not?" as a campaign slogan at Lincoln Day. He took third place in the election.
ReplyDeleteMe, me, me, I need it, I want it, I deserve it...are selfish statements. We all want good and safe roads, but maybe there is a greater need somewhere else in the state that must be addressed first.
ReplyDeleteShy people get crap, let's be selfish, speak up and get our highway improved. They already have the ROW, so why not "git 'er done" and save some lives while growing our corridor.
ReplyDeleteBrookings is on an interstate, not just a four lane road. Small difference there.
ReplyDeleteI still say there are many other reasons that businesses choose not to locate in Madison. I don't think Arctic Cat, Gehl, and many others lately which have gone away or are in the process of probably closing are doing so because of lack of a four lane road.
Madison is off the beaten path, so we have to do everything possible to make transportation easier and safer. While we're central to most larger cities, we're not on I-90 or I-29. A wider highway 34 makes much more sense than the four-lane highway 37 from Huron to Mitchell, which has literally no traffic other than one weekend a year.
ReplyDeleteHuron is much bigger than Madison and it it doesn't make any sense to have that 4 lane why would it be smarter to build a 4 lane to serve a much smaller population base.
ReplyDeleteThe Huron to Mitchell traffic on Hwy 37 doesn't compare to the traffic on SD Highway 34 between Madison and I-29. We have much more traffic because of what is between Madison and I-29. Lake Madison and Lake Brant swells to over 10,000 people in the summer, the Ethanol plant gets about 200 trucks a day hauling corn, there's DSU student traffic, commuter traffic between Madison and Sioux Falls, plus Wentworth, Chester and Colman traffic. Our numbers justify four lanes for safety. Economically, the phrase, "If you build it, they will come," will actually be true with a wider Highway 34 because of our close proximity to Sioux Falls and Brookings. Safety, economic opportunities and traffic numbers justify the expansion.
ReplyDeleteI see the argument that road infrastructure elsewhere has led to growth, so do you only continue growth in those areas? In my view we should make it possible for other areas of the state to grow, and it feels like it should be our turn. jh
ReplyDelete