Environmental Impact Assessment

WIMR East Wedge Cyclotron and Expansion Project

University of Wisconsin – Madison

UW Project # 1485-2343

Potter Lawson has retained Cornerstone Environmental Group, a Tetra Tech company (Tetra Tech), on behalf of the University of Wisconsin System to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) East Wedge Cyclotron and Expansion Project. The EIA will be prepared in accordance with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA), Wisconsin Statutes 1.11, and University of Wisconsin System Administration (UWSA) guidelines. An initial component of this EIA is the scoping process to identify at an early stage any potential impacts of the project on the physical, biological, social, and economic environments. Because you, your agency, or your group may have an interest in the project or are representing neighbors near the project vicinity, we are inviting you to participate in the scoping process.

Known project components and identification of potential impacts to be studied in the EIA will be collected at this early phase of design development. All identified stakeholders will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify in writing any support, issues, or concerns they believe should be addressed during the EIA process for this proposed project.

This project expands on an existing cyclotron facility by installing a new cyclotron and supporting building to house a commercial 30 MeV cyclotron adjacent to the existing School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) biomedical research facilities at WIMR. WIMR is located at 1111 Highland Avenue, Madison WI. WIMR is the flagship research complex for the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The design is based on an existing East Wedge Cyclotron and Expansion Pre-Design delivered through the UW Managed program. The East Wedge Cyclotron and Expansion project will be located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus between WIMR I and WIMR II towers on a site referred to as the “East Wedge”. The following programmatic uses are anticipated as follows:

• Basement – will house a new, commercial, 30 MeV cyclotron.
• First Level – a new laboratory, space for offices and building mechanicals.

The project adds 14,451 gross square feet (GSF) to the WIMR facility, which is currently 653,867 GSF. The project total cost is anticipated to be $48,500,000 and will start construction in August 2025, reaching substantial completion the following year.

Impacts that are identified during this process will be incorporated into a draft EIA report which will be made available to the public for a minimum of 15 days as a review period and will be circulated to appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. Comments and inquiries of the draft EIA document and a recommendation on the findings of the EIA will be developed for release by the UW System as either the project does not significantly affect the quality of the human environment or as a Major and Significant Action thereby requiring the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

If you are interested in this project or have any information relevant to it, we welcome your comments, suggestions, or other input by December 20, 2024, to be considered in the draft EIA. Comments received after that date will be considered in preparation of the final EIA. The Draft EIA is anticipated to be released in early February 2025. Related information and the comment form can be obtained via the project website at: https://WIMREastWedgeEIA.com/. Send your comments to:

If no comments are received from you or your agency, we will assume there are no project issues that negatively impact you. You will have additional opportunities to provide comments during the upcoming public comment period and public meeting. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please contact Aden Clark at (608) 422-9083.