Milwaukee I-794: Mayor recommends improving freeway, not tearing down

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson recommended on Wednesday, July 8, that the elevated portion of Interstate-794 between downtown and the Historic Third Ward be improved. He said while there are benefits to tearing the freeway segment down entirely, "the negative consequences of doing so became apparent upon more detailed analysis," the mayor said. 

I-794 debate

What they're saying:

"Traffic studies show a significant potential for gridlock, particularly in the summer season if the traffic on 794 is brought down to street level. If 794 traffic is in the mix, lift bridges could cause gridlock throughout the summer," Johnson said in a news conference. "You add on the activity that we see during the festival season in the area east of the river could be completely impassable at times. Visitors to our lakefront could see big tie-ups."

The mayor also mentioned that residential neighborhoods north and south of I-794 could also see increased spillover traffic from the freeway being brought down to grade. 

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Johnson also mentioned that activity at Port Milwaukee, which handles roughly 1,000 trucks per day.

"Without the existing interstate highway, many of those trucks would then be rumbling through neighborhoods across the city," Johnson said. 

The mayor mentioned there have been some who argued taking town I-794 would be similar to what happened to Milwaukee's Park East freeway segment. 

"But there's one really big difference in that, though. And that's that the Park East Freeway carried very little traffic, so street-level changes could accommodate the freeway's removal. That's just simply not the case for 794," Johnson said. 

Johnson said ultimately, the future of I-794 will be determined at the state level. 

The backstory:

The stretch of I-794 is more than 50 years old. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is now looking at alternatives for the I-794 Lake Interchange corridor – from the Marquette Interchange to the Hoan Bridge. 

DOT officials are looking at whether to replace the stretch of highway, improve it with a new design, or tear it down altogether.

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One study showed removing the freeway could add up to 20 minutes to some rush hour commutes. But people in favor of removing the freeway say it could open up economic opportunities.