WisDOT Releasing New Freeway-to-Boulevard Designs in April

Wisconsin Highway 175. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will unveil three general alternatives in April for redesigning the Wisconsin Highway 175 as a boulevard.

The highway, also called the Stadium Freeway, branches off of I-94 near American Family Field and cuts a swath through the city of Milwaukee, abruptly terminating at W. Lisbon Avenue near Washington Park, creating a dangerous intersection for pedestrians and drivers alike.

In 2022, along with the city and Milwaukee County, the state began studying replacing the freeway with a boulevard along a 1.8-mile corridor between W. Wisconsin Avenue and W. Lisbon Avenue. The project is called Reimagining WIS 175.

In Spring 2024, WisDOT previewed 10 concepts and a number of intersection configurations. This spring it will release three potential alternatives, but a final design will not be selected until an environmental review is conducted, said Doug Cain, WisDOT southeast region project manager at a meeting of the Milwaukee County Board’s Committee on Transportation and Transit Wednesday.

The alternatives presented this spring will be organized around three general “themes,” according to Cain. They include ending the highway in the north end of the corridor, ending it in the middle or ending it at the south end of the corridor. The study will still consider reconstruction of the freeway, as is, as a “baseline,” Cain said.

Feedback collected in 2024 indicates Milwaukee residents prefer design elements that improve pedestrian safety and access to multi-modal infrastructure.

For example, many responses showed interest in connections to Milwaukee County Parks‘ Oak Leaf Trail network, bus access along WIS 175 and pedestrian infrastructure for biking and walking along the roadway.

Many respondents indicated they wanted safe ways to cross WIS 175 near W. Lisbon Avenue in order to access Washington Park, as well as safe options for crossing the Canadian Pacific Railroad which runs parallel to the Menomonee River crossing underneath WIS 175 just south of W. State Street.

There was also significant interest in creating new opportunities for commercial and residential development on land previously used for the freeway corridor. When the freeway was built in 1962, it bulldozed through the Washington Park and Martin Drive neighborhoods, destroying homes and commercial properties.

The freeway is reaching the end of its useful life, prompting WisDOT to consider alternatives. Final designs will not be created until the project is funded and goes through an environmental review. If funding is approved in the upcoming state biennial budget a final design could be expected by 2029 and construction by 2030, Cain said.

2024 South Design Alternatives

2024 North Design Alternatives

2024 South Cross Streets

2024 North Cross Streets

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