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A potential removal of Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee will remain under consideration at least into next year along with alternatives that would remove some off-ramps to shrink its footprint, or rebuild the highway as-is.
That was among new details the Wisconsin Department of Transportation shared with mayors and village presidents in Milwaukee County during a Monday meeting. The DOT is currently analyzing nine alternatives to rebuild or remove Interstate 794 roughly between the Milwaukee River and its connection to the north end of the Hoan Bridge. Hearings on those options this summer drew more than 1,700 public comments as stakeholders including some Milwaukee officials pushed to remove the freeway, and communities on the south end of the Hoan Bridge sided with alternatives to preserve it.
Wisconsin DOT project manager David Pittman on Monday said planners are parsing through those public comments and performing a “robust” traffic analysis to gauge the impacts of the various alternatives. By early 2024, a shorter list of options will be released for further public comment, and a final design will be chosen by the end of next year, he said.
The Wisconsin DOT showed these renderings during its early August open houses to collect feedback on reconstruction options for Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
The short list to be considered in 2024 will include at least one alternative that would remove I-794. It would also include one or several of the redesign alternatives, Carolyn Seboe, planning group director for engineering and planning consultant HNTB Corp., told the Milwaukee County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council during its Monday meeting.
That means debate over the future of that stretch of interstate will likely continue through next year. Milwaukee elected officials have adopted a downtown plan that calls for a study of removing I-794 and replacing it with at-grade streets. In the DOT’s options, that would mean converting Clybourn Street into a two-way boulevard that would carry some of the traffic that now rides the I-794 bridges between the Hoan Bridge and the Marquette Interchange.
Cudahy, St. Francis and South Milwaukee this year all approved resolutions opposing the full removal of I-794. Cudahy Mayor Thomas Pavlic said those communities would lobby state elected officials to stop a removal of I-794 but support a DOT redesign option that would shrink its footprint.
Pavlic said trucking firms rely on the I-794 connection, and employees at companies such as Smithfield Foods and manufacturer ATI Inc. in Cudahy use the interstate link to reach their jobs.
“We will lobby heavily for the improved option that skinnies down the roadway to give Milwaukee some options to develop, and hopefully change some of the exit ramps, which again gives Milwaukee the opportunity to expand their development,” Pavlic said Monday.
The DOT this summer showed six different alternatives that scale back I-794’s footprint by removing some of its on and off ramps between the Hoan Bridge and Milwaukee River. Those options would also convert Clybourn Street into a two-way boulevard and would open anywhere from 1 to 3.6 acres for private development, plus up to 4 acres for other uses.
Pittman on Monday said there are eight I-794 ramp connections to local streets between the Milwaukee River and lakefront.
“That’s a lot of ramps for a mile-long segment of freeway,” Pittman said. “We’re looking at potential opportunities to consolidate access points.”
The six redesign alternatives all maintain an elevated interstate bridge connection between the Hoan Bridge and the Marquette Interchange.
Pittman said about 45% of the east-bound traffic coming from the Marquette Interchange stays on I-794 to drive over the Hoan Bridge. About 68% of the traffic coming north from the Hoan Bridge drives through I-794 to the Marquette Interchange without using an exit to go to downtown, he said. Those figures are based partially on data collected from the cell phones of drivers as they use I-794.
“While this is a way for people to get into and out of downtown, this is also a way for people to get through the area, as well,” Pittman said.