Would be nice to have but not needed. Maybe 15 or 20 yrs down the road, if development in the area warrants it then take a look. For now, put on the back burner.

I think this is a good idea. The interchange will cost the lowest amount if done in conjunction with the road improvements. If done before or after it will easily cost 2X or 3X the amount. The distance from the other interchanges is just about right and it will alleviate the hwy 26 and 59 traffic issues, and it would definitely be a good development for economic reasons. This is truly a win for everyone in Milton and Rock County. I am not sure what is wrong with Woody, he sounds more like a jealous neighbor than anything else.

Woody I take it you must be one of the other land owners. And Milton does not have empty buildings in its business park they are all full. Also Milton is adding a business here very soon called Penn Color. They are building as we speak. Also some of the businesses in the park are expanding or have plans to do so. So Milton is on the right track. Milton's business park on the east side is almost full. So the city can either buy more land of try and expand on the west side. In order to expand the west side they need better transportation alternatives to attract businesses to locate there. The city already has the railroad which serves both sides of the city. But something closer to I-90 system would be ideal for the west side.

Well there ya go! No Milton interchange because Alderman Frazier looks like a young Jesse Ventura. And thanks for the insight into the election. It will save me from going to the polls and casting my vote. Thanks for bringing such powerful reasoning to the discussion.

I would rather see investment in commuter rail between Madison down the Rock River valley to Rockford, but if I-90 is expanded an interchange study is logical. One thing people need to put out of their minds is that this will do anything about the current employment situation. The timeline even on just a standalone interchange is years -- five would be fast. I doubt this could be fast-tracked to where it would merit being done before the six-lane conversion. Lost jobs and empty buildings now are a result of the recession, and there isn't much that the Milton leaders can do about the global economy. They can and should plan for the very long term, though, and that's where this comes in.
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Milton is likely to be helped by the WI-26 expressway conversion. With Milton growing and Janesville returning to growth in the long run, as is more than likely, I believe an interchange can make sense here. My personal preference would be closer to Janesville on Townline Rd., which would be a good place for traffic to cut over to 26 and access the east side (of Milton) industrial area, but that's probably too close to the existing exit. An interchange at M would serve the west side of Milton, the south side of Edgerton, and the north (and west) side of Janesville, which is particularly difficult to reach without going through either Edgerton, Newville, or Janesville's commercial/strip district, all of which are at least a mile or two of slow streets. The DOT would definitely look at the regional effects. I don't know that the COJ wants a northern entrance, but I can definitely say as a west side resident it would be an asset to more than Milton.

In my opinion, I would have to ask myself what the actual time saving would be by putting an interchange at M and I-39/90. Driving (east)south on 90, you get off on 163 and take 59 in to Milton. Driving (west) north, you get off at 171 and take 26 in to Milton. Heading south you might save 5 minutes at best. Heading north you would probably lose time by driving past Milton and back tracking. The only one it would benefit is the Milton cops that go out to the Interstate when things are slow in town. Again, just my opinion

I guess the larger question is this: what needs to be done to create jobs in our area? There are regular bloggers on this site who were out of work for months recently. We all know someone who's in or has been in that situation.

What needs to be done to create jobs in our area?

"...fondness of some foreign traffic control system." There are very real reasons for using a roundabout that have nothing to do with "fondness."

Don't put a interchange in just so someone can get rich from development. Only put one in because there is a great need to connect to I90. The Janesville and Newville exits are not that far away so we don't NEED one.

If there is an interchange put in there and any bureaucrat reading this who has the clout. Don't put in a round-a-bout just to satisfy your fondness of some foreign traffic control system.

Hey Brett, what we don't need is another business park with a bunch of empty buildings. Take some time to look around YOUR city and count the empty ones. Call around to the hotels and ask what percent they are filled. Go out and talk to the OTHER land owners. By the way...Dick Tracy was being sarcastic.

This is Milton Alderman Brett Frazier.

My hope with all of this is that a conversation can begin about how Milton will grow in the next decade. An interchange on the west side of the city would provide an opportunity for employment based development. There are a lot of good, hard-working people out of work in Rock County. They don't need political promises- they've had enough of them to last a lifetime. They need jobs. There are a lot of different ways to encourage job growth, but let's face it- some of the decisions made at the State and Federal levels haven't exactly helped the jobs situation.

I commute to work an hour each way every day. I've done that for four years. I do it because that's where a lot of us have had to go in order to find jobs to support our families and I've got a wife and three little ones counting on me. My hope is that the action that we take now will create a different Rock County for my kids when they grow up. We can argue the merits of the interchange and we can even argue if more development is what Milton needs, but I'm happy to step out and be bold when I advocate on behalf of the City of Milton and the greater Rock County area.

And hey- Dick Tracy...glad you like 'em. :)

Brett Frazier
Milton City Council

This is all smoke and mirrors at election time. When November is over this will only be a memory. I love how politicians love spending the tax payers money at election time. Using our money to buy our votes you gotta love it.

The earrings are a great touch in that photo! Really screams "professionalism!"

Ranjan I did not see that as a mistake. I thought that wording fairly reflected the truth.

I believe this is about a couple people trying to get rich from unwanted and not needed development. It's not like Milton people can't get on the interstate and more interchanges mean more accidents.

This is a stupid idea. Let's spend even more money for an interchange going no where.