See What Boulevard Replacing I-794 in Downtown Would Look Like

Conceptual plan for replacement of Interstate 794 with boulevard. Rendering by John Everitt.

The Rethink 794 campaign, which is calling for a freeway-to-boulevard version of Interstate 794 through downtown Milwaukee, released a new way to explore its vision Tuesday morning.

The augmented reality experience allows individuals to hold up a smartphone near the elevated freeway and experience what it could look like if replaced by a boulevard.

“If Milwaukee knows what we could have had, it will be harder for [the Wisconsin Department of Transportation] to deny it,” said architectural designer John Everitt to Urban Milwaukee. “While some of the renderings are fanciful, their statement is not. This can be a very real future for Milwaukee. We are trying to get the public excited about the possibilities and to inspire other concerned residents to do their own dreaming.”

Smartphone users can scan a QR code or visit i794.com from seven spots along E. Clybourn Street to view the renderings. Moving the phone will pan the rendering in the direction of the phone, mirroring what the future might look like.

“[Three-hundred and sixty degree] augmented reality now lets Milwaukee understand these ideas in a more immersive experience,” said Everitt. “Since nearly everyone has a smartphone, they can walk to these exact spots on the map and transport themselves to this possible future in the same perspective as they stand—like a live before-and-after photo.”

WisDOT previously said it would release two design alternatives for further study this year. One is expected to be a freeway-to-boulevard replacement, while another would be a roadway narrowing. Both are expected to yield more land for public use or private development.

The coalition released its initial concept in October 2022. It has rallied support for its vision as WisDOT continues its public engagement process to replace the aging freeway structures, built in the 1970s.

In April, Mayor Cavalier Johnson endorsed a boulevard option. The 2040 Downtown Plan also calls for a boulevard replacement, if feasible.

The WisDOT project is only for the east-west segment of the freeway between the Hoan Bridge and N. 6th Street. Access to and from Downtown via the Hoan Bridge would remain.

Initial renderings by Rethink 794 explored a series of new high rises, public space and a wider Clybourn Street filling the freeway corridor. Everitt’s renderings showcase a different alternative with mid-rise buildings built in the style of Historic Third Ward structures and two levels of traffic to avoid car-vehicle conflicts.

Visible in the renderings are an expansion of the Milwaukee Public Market, protected pedestrian passages under car-oriented streets, new lakefront high rises and a six-lane E. Clybourn Street with protected bike lanes.

Can’t physically make it to I-794? The website allows you to experience the potential future without having to be there, you just don’t get the augmented reality experience of the existing sound, smells and freeway.

Everitt is no stranger to bold visions. In 2023 he released an extensive proposal showcasing how the historic railroad swing bridge between the Historic Third Ward and Harbor District could be repurposed as a public amenity.

WisDOT estimates that 26,600 vehicles make an end-to-end trip across the entire I-794 study area each day. More than double that total enters or exits the study area via a ramp and does not make an end-to-end trip, presumably to start or end a trip Downtown. Proponents of a boulevard have said a grid would better diffuse traffic across city streets and that removing the elevated structure would better connect Downtown while creating more land for public or private use.

Demo Video

Initial Rethink 794 Renderings

WisDOT Freeway Options

WisDOT Boulevard Options

WisDOT As-Is Rebuild

WisDOT 3D Renderings

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