Jeramey Jannene

Converting 794 To Boulevard Could Yield 3,000 Housing Units, $1.1 Billion in Development

New analysis from urban planner Larry Witzling explores impact of overhauling downtown freeway.

By - Nov 21st, 2024 04:03 pm
Interstate 794 through Downtown. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Interstate 794 through Downtown. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A new report attempts to quantify the potential economic impact of replacing the east-west portion of Interstate 794 with a boulevard.

The proposal, advocated for by a coalition known as Rethink 794, calls for replacing the elevated freeway with a boulevard between N. 6th Street and the Lake Interchange. It would leave the Hoan Bridge, while opening more land for development or public use and accommodating traffic by expanding Clybourn Avenue.

Highly regarded urban planner Larry Witzling prepared the analysis, which estimates that in the 30 years following the conversion more than $1.1 billion development would include 3,000 new apartments or condos, generate $475 million in property tax revenue and yield $60 million in new sales tax revenue. Witzling’s conceptual redevelopment plan calls for reconnecting the Historic Third Ward with Downtown through redesigned streets and new public spaces.

“Not only can we avoid spending $300 million in taxpayer dollars rebuilding this small section of I-794, we can enable development there, generating 3,000 housing units and billions in local spending that adds state tax dollars,” said Witzling in a press release.

Witzling launched Planning & Design Institute, better known as PDI, in 1988. The firm, in 2008 merged with engineering firm GRAEF, where he continues to serve as a principal. In 2017, Witzling was named the American Planning Association’s Planning Pioneer of the Year. The urban planner is a professor emeritus at the UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning. He contributed to the plan to remove the Park East Freeway spur and redevelop it as a mixed-use neighborhood.

The 10-block corridor would likely be redeveloped from the inside outside, according to Witzling’s analysis. Much of the initial development would take place near the Milwaukee Public Market, while new parks could be created closer to the lake.

“The area already includes a great infrastructure framework with a strong street grid,” he said. “Even with Clybourn Boulevard widened to four lanes, there would be plenty of room for housing and expanded public places to support existing and new uses. As with the Park East Freeway removal in 2002-2003, development would likely see some ebb and flow as local stakeholders and new investors engage the opportunities.”

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (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.

“Of course, this is a conversation about transportation, but I think that’s only half the question — the other half is about land use and what we want to become as a city and region,” said Taylor Korslin, an architect and member of the Rethink 794 coalition.

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.

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.

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

Rethink 794 is formally a project of the environmental group 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and includes support from a group of urbanists, architects and urban planners.

Study Images

Initial Rethink 794 Renderings

WisDOT Freeway Options

WisDOT Boulevard Options

WisDOT As-Is Rebuild

WisDOT 3D Renderings

Legislation Link - Urban Milwaukee members see direct links to legislation mentioned in this article. Join todaySample Map

Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.

If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.

Comments

  1. PantherU says:

    Tear it down. It’s a scar on the face of Milwaukee.

  2. Thomas Sepllman says:

    And how many trucks a day to the harbor Oh that’s right we have BIG ships that take our stuff out to the world Oh those BIG ships are on our lake front Hummmmm

  3. Franklin Furter says:

    Looks like a solid study, both in term of the numbers and the “slow growth” approach over 30 years. That, acknowledging the “ebb and flow” nature of downtown development, and anticipating that development will start in the middle (by the Public Market) are great reality checks that strengthen what otherwise would be a numbers game. (See anticipated RNC economic impact…)

    I definitely like turning some of the eastmost blocks into long-term temporary parks until development catches up with land supply. One or two of those parks might even become permanent.

  4. Franklin Furter says:

    And, totally agree that land use needs to be *at least* half the conversation, not simply transportation.

    That said, I’m more an answers guy that a questions guy. So in that spirit, here is the 2023 I-794 Lake Interchange Study, the result of collaboration among WISDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, the City of Milwaukee, and Milwaukee County:

    https://www.794lakeinterchange.wisconsindot.gov/about#:~:text=Lake%20Interchange%20carries%2073%2C900%20vehicles,to%20the%20regional%20freeway%20system.

    It is a major part of the conversation. Some great data here, and the PDF is downloadable! 🙂

  5. Thomas Sepllman says:

    And where are the trucks??

  6. Franklin Furter says:

    Thomas, there is a box addressing the Port in the report. Also, I just do a Google search and AI provides plenty of data on trucks and the Lake Interchange. (Note: Always good to verify AI, it only knows what it finds.)

    Check it out…

  7. tmaloney6 says:

    I think the “Tight Mainline Configuration” is a great compromise. This configuration minimizes the footprint and satisfies the need to move traffic without bringing traffic down to city streets.

  8. CraigR says:

    Are we surprised? A study sponsored by a group with a specific viewpoint that it wants confirmed. All of this housing could also be built in areas adjacent to Downtown as well with no impact to transportation. That’s assuming there’s a demand for it. I see plenty of surface parking lots near the Third Ward that could accommodate housing if someone wants to build it.

  9. PantherU says:

    Thomas, the Port of Milwaukee states there are about 300 trucks per day that enter/leave the Port. Bay/Becher Street was redone to handle all that traffic if need be and is already used by a bunch of the trucks because it’s faster if you’re heading south/southwest than 794 as it currently stands.

    The Port just doesn’t handle anywhere near the amount of trade people think it does. If this were the Port of Chicago there’d be more reason to have the direct line. The entire Port only made $5.4 million in the last year we have numbers (2022). This is not a major port by any stretch, having 794 does almost nothing to increase economic output here.

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us