Gerald H. Boyle: Highways were a federal initiative after WW II. Interstates remain the number one mode of transportation for all goods and services in the United States. If needed, federal money should be used to fund highway improvement and expansion.

Corey Hoze: did not respond.

Democrats

Tim Carpenter:  SEWRPC’s plans to favor expansion of capacity over supporting the repair and maintenance of existing roadways are unwise, and need to be redone. The plans will encourage unreasonable sprawl and seem to be based upon the disproved notion that adding lanes will reduce congestion. Further, SEWRPC’s plans, especially with relation to the enlargement of the Marquette Interchange, have disregarded the harm they will cause to the local community.

Matt Flynn: My primary objective is to use federal dollars to improve and modernize mass transit systems, and to maintain a safe highway system. I think that freeway expansion for the sake of expansion simply leads to more traffic, urban sprawl, and bad land use practices. I want to create good jobs with good benefits in Milwaukee County, with a transportation infrastructure that supports economic expansion and an accessible workforce. Freeway expansion for the sake of expansion is counter to that objective, and I would not favor appropriating funds for that reason.

Gwen Moore: I am concerned with the impact of this proposal on our communities. Many studies have shown that freeway expansion is unlikely to significantly reduce congestion and leads to an increase in urban sprawl and air pollution, endangering both the environment and public health. We must look for long-term solutions to our transportation problems rather than a quick fix through building up our freeways. In Congress, I will work to direct federal money to our area to fund mass transit and environmentally-friendly transportation initiatives.

Independents

Tim Johnson: Improving our transportation infrastructure is an important part of helping the region’s economic stability in the future. While I support both freeway expansion and mass transit initiatives such as the Downtown Connector, I do believe a greater percentage of federal dollars needs to be dedicated to mass transit. We have a looming energy crisis and it is important that the federal government seeks the greater good by dedicating more funding to mass transit and alternative fuel research. The freeways of tomorrow will be used by automobiles that burn alternative fuels, which is far more palatable than the status quo. In short, I would be open to anything we can do to improve the region’s infrastructure for the good of everyone.

Robert H. Raymond could not be reached.

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Constitution Party

Colin Hudson could not be reached.

 

Read about the candidates' positions on

Water Diversion

The Iraq War

Budget Priorities

The Patriot Act

The Bush Tax Cuts

What we're doing: storyhill.net and the Riverwest Currents newspaper asked 4th Congressional District candidates to respond to questions about issues relevant to Milwaukee-area voters.

Eight candidates are competing to replace Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerald D. Kleczka, who is not seeking re-election. The 4th District includes all of Milwaukee, Cudahy, St. Francis, South Milwaukee, West Milwaukee and part of West Allis.

The questions and candidates' answers will be carried on the storyhill.net web site and in the Riverwest Currents newspaper.There will be Republican and Democratic primaries Sept. 14. The general election is Nov. 2.