KOHLER WANTS "EVENT-ONLY INTERCHANGE" AT I-43
Will Only be Used Three Times in Next Dozen Years for PGA Events;
Taxpayers to Fund Half
Below is the link to this incredible proposal. Spread the word!
Mosel Interchange Document
Taxpayers to Fund Half
A Tale of the Absurd
By Michael Horne
By Michael Horne
The Kohler Company, looking forward to the 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships and the 2020 Ryder Cup tournament, is asking the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to study creation of an "event only interchange" to handle tournament traffic at I-43 in the Sheboygan County town of Mosel.
Our compliant highway bureaucrats said, "sure enough," and a hearing has been scheduled for this absurdity on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Town of Mosel Town Hall / Fire Station.
The Kohler Company will pay half of the $250,000 cost of the study to see if a freeway interchange could be built to directly link Milwaukee traffic to the Whistling Straits Golf Course, where the tourneys will be held. The "event only" interchange would only be used every five years or so, and would be idle the rest of the time. According to an article in The Daily Reporter by Paul Snyder, the interchange could discourage future growth in the area, and it is not connected with any expansion plans of the giant Kohler family of family companies, or of any organic growth in the area. But it would sure make the USGA and PGA happy, which is very important to Herb Kohler. During the 2004 PGA championships at Whistling Straits it was discovered that some drivers were actually traveling to Kohler using the Wisconsin State Highway 57 and County Trunk Highway system, rather than the Interstate. Imagine!
According to the DOT, noted for its incisive commentary on sporting events, "The 2004 PGA Championship was a triumph from any perspective. The tournament focused worldwide attention on Wisconsin's crown jewel of golf -- Whistling Straits."
Alas, "it is likely that future tournament 'headquarter hotels' may be located in the Milwaukee area. Having an event-only ramp in the town of Mosel will significantly decrease travel times to Whistling Straits. This is extremely important to the governing bodies of golf." [Emphasis added.]
According to an information sheet on the project (there is nothing about it on the department's website at this time) the "Kohler Company recognizes that, without improvements to the local infrastructure, operational logistics and the overall visitor experience, as compared to the 2004 PGA Championship, will deteriorate. ... Alternate methods for safely accommodating this exceptionally large influx of visitors must be considered."
When it comes to the Doyle administration, the only alternative to a crowded highway is to build another one. Of course, there is no mention of such "alternatives" as passenger rail service to Kohler, which is on the way to Green Bay, where it could be argued that sports plays an even bigger role in the economy than in Sheboygee, or at least more often than every half-decade or so.
Kohler's resort at St. Andrew's Scotland, advertised as "the most famous hole in golf," does not require a dedicated part-time freeway exit; in fact it is just 4 miles from a train station that connects it to the principal cities of Europe. Let's see Herb Kohler petition the Scottish parliament for an occasional freeway interchange at St. Andrew's!
FUNDING AND OWNERSHIP OF AN "EVENT ONLY" INTERCHANGE
Funding for the study of the feasibility of the interchange will be split equally by the taxpayers and the Kohler Company. In the event the interchange is built, the DOT would be the sole owner of the interchange, will be responsible for its openings and closings, and will purchase and own all of the necessary real estate. Costs will be split between the Kohler Company and the taxpayers. However, it should be noted, the interchange would eat up much property that is now on the tax roll, it would require taxpayer money to be maintained (an unused road can deteriorate more rapidly than a used one) and it would really be an insult to a comprehensive transit and land use plan for this state, not to mention a burden on the many for the benefit of a few.
Our compliant highway bureaucrats said, "sure enough," and a hearing has been scheduled for this absurdity on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Town of Mosel Town Hall / Fire Station.
The Kohler Company will pay half of the $250,000 cost of the study to see if a freeway interchange could be built to directly link Milwaukee traffic to the Whistling Straits Golf Course, where the tourneys will be held. The "event only" interchange would only be used every five years or so, and would be idle the rest of the time. According to an article in The Daily Reporter by Paul Snyder, the interchange could discourage future growth in the area, and it is not connected with any expansion plans of the giant Kohler family of family companies, or of any organic growth in the area. But it would sure make the USGA and PGA happy, which is very important to Herb Kohler. During the 2004 PGA championships at Whistling Straits it was discovered that some drivers were actually traveling to Kohler using the Wisconsin State Highway 57 and County Trunk Highway system, rather than the Interstate. Imagine!
According to the DOT, noted for its incisive commentary on sporting events, "The 2004 PGA Championship was a triumph from any perspective. The tournament focused worldwide attention on Wisconsin's crown jewel of golf -- Whistling Straits."
Alas, "it is likely that future tournament 'headquarter hotels' may be located in the Milwaukee area. Having an event-only ramp in the town of Mosel will significantly decrease travel times to Whistling Straits. This is extremely important to the governing bodies of golf." [Emphasis added.]
According to an information sheet on the project (there is nothing about it on the department's website at this time) the "Kohler Company recognizes that, without improvements to the local infrastructure, operational logistics and the overall visitor experience, as compared to the 2004 PGA Championship, will deteriorate. ... Alternate methods for safely accommodating this exceptionally large influx of visitors must be considered."
When it comes to the Doyle administration, the only alternative to a crowded highway is to build another one. Of course, there is no mention of such "alternatives" as passenger rail service to Kohler, which is on the way to Green Bay, where it could be argued that sports plays an even bigger role in the economy than in Sheboygee, or at least more often than every half-decade or so.
Kohler's resort at St. Andrew's Scotland, advertised as "the most famous hole in golf," does not require a dedicated part-time freeway exit; in fact it is just 4 miles from a train station that connects it to the principal cities of Europe. Let's see Herb Kohler petition the Scottish parliament for an occasional freeway interchange at St. Andrew's!
FUNDING AND OWNERSHIP OF AN "EVENT ONLY" INTERCHANGE
Funding for the study of the feasibility of the interchange will be split equally by the taxpayers and the Kohler Company. In the event the interchange is built, the DOT would be the sole owner of the interchange, will be responsible for its openings and closings, and will purchase and own all of the necessary real estate. Costs will be split between the Kohler Company and the taxpayers. However, it should be noted, the interchange would eat up much property that is now on the tax roll, it would require taxpayer money to be maintained (an unused road can deteriorate more rapidly than a used one) and it would really be an insult to a comprehensive transit and land use plan for this state, not to mention a burden on the many for the benefit of a few.
Below is the link to this incredible proposal. Spread the word!
posted by Michael Horne @ 4:00 PM
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