Open Meetings For Scaled-Down Stadium Interchange

Two public meetings are scheduled this week to discuss a proposal to expand Interstate 94 from six to eight lanes between N. 16th St. to N. 70th St. And one option for the future Stadium Interchange, located near American Family Field, will look drastically different than what was presented in December.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is now considering a diverging-diamond replacement for the freeway’s connection with Miller Park Way and Wisconsin Highway 175.

WisDOT will present its plans for the 3.5-mile corridor in open-house format meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

The diverging diamond concept, presented to elected officials last week, would involve the north-south roadways through the interchange running at-grade underneath the elevated east-west freeway. Controlled by stop lights, traffic would briefly drive on what would be considered the “wrong side of the road.” The design strategy results in fewer collision points than a traditional interchange because on-off ramp access doesn’t involve crossing lanes. WisDOT has recently used the design strategy at other interchanges.

The new Stadium Interchange proposal would be shorter and less costly than the previously proposed interchange. The interchange is a major cost driver for what WisDOT estimated in November 2021 as a $1.24 billion project.

The current interchange, built when the north-south corridor was expected to be a larger freeway, features completely grade-separated freeway ramps. But it includes left-hand exits and on-ramps, a design strategy no longer used in large part because of concerns about safety.

“Doing nothing about this portion of road is not an option. This aging stretch of highway is one of the most dangerous roads in the state,” said WisDOT Secretary-designee Craig Thompson in an April 2021 statement announcement that WisDOT would consider both six- and eight-lane options for the previously stalled projects.

The concepts presented for the interchange in the December open house meetings were virtually identical to those shown at the time of the last prior public hearing in 2014 and included stop lights on the north-south corridor. The new six-lane interchange option was also virtually identical to the eight-line proposal, both in cost and scale.

The new proposal for the interchange comes as WisDOT is backing a study of options to rebuild STH-175 to the north as a boulevard instead of a freeway. Much of the corridor to the south is already a commercial street with stop lights.

At the May announcement of the STH-175 study, Thompson said the new study wouldn’t impact the timeline of the east-west freeway project, but confirmed that WisDOT was studying new options for the interchange. “I think you will see changes,” said Thompson. And referring to regional WisDOT Deputy Director Roberto Gutierrez and his staff, Thompson added that “Whatever we do on 175, the folks here assure me that it’s going to work together.”

Based on a rendering, special ramps and bridges would still be included in the interchange for access to parking lots at the baseball stadium.

The project would still involve acquiring property adjacent to the freeway.

“I am very concerned about the six properties they are taking in the Menomonee Valley, which are very big properties,” said Alderman Robert Bauman at a Public Works Committee last week. “They are sacrificing six businesses for a straighter road.” Badger Truck Center occupies one of the properties.

The alderman, a longtime opponent of expanding the freeway, said relocating the businesses elsewhere in the region is the same as shutting them down as far as job access is concerned.

Bauman also said no new cost estimate was presented to the elected officials during the briefing, leading him to believe that the project was “way over cost.”

A 946-page project design and environmental study package was originally completed in 2016, but the project failed to move forward because of funding issues.

Then-Governor Scott Walker shelved the project in 2017 and the Federal Highway Administration rescinded its environmental approval. Governor Tony Evers’ administration had originally sought to fast-track the re-approval process in 2020, but later agreed to conduct a supplemental environmental impact study after expansion opponents challenged it, arguing the 946-page study was out of date.

A coalition of expansion opponents released a “Fix at Six” proposal last September that calls for rebuilding the freeway at its current size and investing in other transportation options in parallel corridors.

The latest environmental impact study will identify a “preferred alternative” for rebuilding the freeway. Expanding the freeway, according to 2021 statements by state officials, would add at least $200 million to the project cost.

Based on 2019 WisDOT traffic data, the freeway corridor sees between 158,000 and 178,000 vehicles per day. A recent analysis found that traffic volumes have rebounded to similar levels since a pandemic-induced drop occurred. But a 2021 traffic volume graph from WisDOT shows that traffic volumes had not increased since 2000, the oldest year in the graph.

The most recent state budget includes $82 million for design and site preparation work related to the project. A portion of that funding is from federal grants. Additional funding would be needed in the 2023-2025 budget.

The freeway opened to traffic in 1961 and 1962. The Zoo and Marquette interchanges, which anchor each end of the freeway corridor, were rebuilt within the past 15 years.

Meeting Details

The Tuesday meeting will take place at the Tommy Thompson Youth Center, 640 S. 84th St. The meeting Wednesday will be at Marquette University High School, 3401 W. Wisconsin Ave. Access to the latter meeting is via the W. Michigan St. parking lot.

Both meetings will run from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The same information will be presented on both nights. The public will be able to view project information, talk with project staff and submit input on design options.

Current Stadium Interchange

2021 Stadium Interchange Rendering

2014 Stadium Interchange Rendering