Some years ago, then State Sen. Margaret Farrow, later to become acting Lt. Gov. under Acting Gov. Scott McCallum, suggested collecting tolls to finance the rebuilding of the region's freeways.

Now that people out in her county want a new, $20 million interchange for the proposed upscale Pabst Farms shopping mall, this could be the right time for Farrow & Co. to bring back their tolling idea.

That would make the interchange user-funded, and off the taxpayers back.

Details here.

Pabst Farms - - Not Taxpayers - - Can Pay For New Mall Interchange

Planning in southeastern Wisconsin has been legendarily bungled for years - - but the revelation that the vaunted regional freeway expansion plan doesn't contain funding for an interchange for Pabst Farms' shopping mall is a doozy.

Planning in Western Waukesha County has long been the nearly-private preserve of a handful of powerful interests.

A Pabst Farms' initial consultant was Ruekert & Mielke, the same firm that has done water supply studies for both fast-growing Waukesha and New Berlin, and is also managing the regional planning commission's (SEWRPC) three-year-long water supply study.

Dan Warren, Pabst Farms project manager, is the chairman of the Waukesha Water Utility commission.