Nobody Will Miss I-794
Turning one mile of freeway in Downtown into a boulevard will have huge benefits.
Interstate 794 between Downtown and the Historic Third Ward. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
In 2002, Milwaukee’s Park East Freeway was demolished. This freeway, underutilized and only partially built thanks to community opposition, took up valuable space in downtown Milwaukee that’s now occupied by housing, entertainment, and the home of the Bucks. Where there once was a road, there is now a city. Today, Milwaukee has the opportunity to initiate an even more transformative change by removing the one-mile portion of I-794 in Downtown instead of replacing it, and neither the city nor its residents can allow this opportunity to pass them by.
The Historic Third Ward and Juneau Town, the latter of which most people refer to simply as part of “Downtown,” are two of Milwaukee’s fastest-growing and most vibrant neighborhoods. The historic architecture of the Third Ward takes you back in time while the skyscrapers of Downtown provide a truly urban feel. Bars, restaurants, shops, and housing are scattered throughout both neighborhoods, leading to an active cityscape at all hours of the day. However, I-794 cuts these neighborhoods off from one another. The urban fabric is severed, and walking between the two requires venturing under the highway into the shadows of one of Milwaukee’s greatest mistakes.
Thanks to its location, if I-794 were to be demolished, the land it occupies would instantly become the most valuable vacant land in the state of Wisconsin. The highway pollutes Downtown with noise and tire particulates. It is woefully underutilized; WisDOT estimates that a mere 73,900 vehicles use I-794 through Downtown daily. For comparison’s sake, their daily vehicle estimation for the nearby Lincoln Memorial Drive is 31,400. That’s an arterial boulevard (similar to what is proposed to replace I-794) doing half the work of an interstate spur, and it highlights how unnecessary I-794 is. A boulevard could easily handle the demand of that corridor while reconnecting the heart of the city.
Do people miss the Park East Freeway? No. It lies in the dustbin of history along with the Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco and the Arthur V Sheridan Expressway in The Bronx. The commuters that once used them now take different routes or use the city streets which replaced them, and the communities they once divided are more connected than ever. San Francisco’s Embarcadero is now a landmark, not unlike the Deer District in Milwaukee, the latter of which plays host to athletic events, homes, hotels, and nightlife. Imagine what could be done with 10 extra blocks of Downtown! Students at UW-Milwaukee have produced a few ideas, including one that would see nearly seven thousand homes spring up in the footprint of I-794. Rethink 794 imagines a parkway, a heated pedestrian bridge reminiscent of yesteryear’s crystal palaces, and glittering skyscrapers along the lake. Anywhere else in the state – anywhere else in the city – these plans would be farfetched, but these go to show that this land is incredibly valuable and desirable for development. Everything is on the table.
If Milwaukee is ready to remove I-794, WisDOT must play ball. The city cannot allow this to be a repeat of the Twin Cities’ failed attempt to remove I-94 between Minneapolis and Saint Paul and replace it with a local boulevard. If WisDOT elects to keep I-794, Milwaukee will be missing out on tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue from not only property taxes but sales and income taxes generated by new residents on the land where I-794 stands today. These funds could be used to improve city services, repair roads, or better fund Milwaukee Public Schools. The benefits would be felt across the city, not just in Downtown.
Simply put, city officials must refuse to let WisDOT decide to rebuild the highway. Do not let the state impose the will of the few people who use the highway upon the hundreds of thousands who will benefit from its removal. Sue if you have to, but ensure that the highway goes. Milwaukeeans should do their part, too, by writing to WisDOT and local legislators, from the city’s Common Council all the way up to the U.S. Senate, holding demonstrations, and dreaming big about what could – and should – be. Everybody with a stake in the city’s future should be involved, because removing this short interstate spur benefits them all. Do everything in your power to ensure that someday we look back and ask ourselves, “Why did we ever put a highway there?” So our children can incredulously ask, “There used to be a highway here?”
Trent Wiesner is a first-year graduate student at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs pursuing a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning. He is originally from Racine and attended Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where he obtained a degree in Sustainable Community Development. His interests include public transportation, urban development, Brewers baseball, and the well-being of his two cats.
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Thank you, Trent Wiesner! Thank you for your fact-based research. Who exactly are the WisDOT people? Do they even LIVE in Milwaukee? Do the people against taking down I-794 LIVE in Milwaukee or even Milwaukee County? My bet is they do not. We City of Milwaukee residents are the ones who should have the say in this decision. This is OUR CITY. Come on Mayor Johnson, County Executive David Crowley, and Alderpersons! Speak out loudly against this complete nonsense.
Spend no more money on studies. Reclaim our land. Don’t listen to the so-called experts who are responsible for the ridiculous and confusing entry off of Lincoln Memorial Drive onto the Hoan Bridge—which will NOT, REPEAT NOT—be taken down! The people of Milwaukee are with you!
I double checked the article a few times. Has this person ever lived In Milwaukee? I’ve been an East Sider for 18 years. I take 794 several times a week. There was a study that was just published about the economic impact of the freeway. When the lakefront interchange was redone… space was left for JCI to build a new headquarters.. how’d that turn out? I take the green line weekly from The East Side to all places south of the 3rd ward. You don’t even notice a freeway and there’s plenty of space below it that is vibrant. Again. Did this person ever live in Milwaukee?
Unfortunately, in my numerous experience with the WIDOT, they have these meetings, probably because they are required to by law, but don’t listen to anything said. I am convinced they have their minds made up what to do before these meetings are held. Unless a millionaire is involved, they do not listen to the folks whose lives and land will be negatively affected by their EXTREMELY poor decisions. I have NO respect for this destructive, not useful department. Just my opinion.
The removal of the stretch between Marquette and the Lake would create an undue hardship for all the south side neighborhoods.It would also be detrimental to activity at the port of milwaukee.
The Boulevard would have upwards of 46,000 cars per day which doesnt make that area any more desirable.
The City/County would end up providing TIFs to many of the developers and we wouldn’t yield additional tax revenue for many years.
The idea of removing sounds good but in practicality its not going to provide enough benefit to justify the reconstruction.
Written by someone who doesn’t use this route in their daily activities. And as for his anology, imagine what Lincoln Memorial Dr would be like if traffic on it was more than doubled. People from the East Side, Bay View, and the south shore suburbs depend on this route (and their property values matter too). It’s not all about Downtown. The Park East was a poorly connected dead end, so it’s not an equivalent example.
“The Park East was a poorly connected dead end, so it’s not an equivalent example. precisely.
I observe that the folks who seem to think 794 should be eliminated never use it and have no interest in the opinion of those who do.
Unbox Milwaukee. Open our city for excitement, growth and connection. I-794 should never have been built. So let’s correct our mistake and take it down. Look at the city neighborhoods that were tragically torn apart when freeways cut through cities all across America and in Milwaukee. Let’s not miss the opportunity to do it right this time by opening up downtown and closing down this relic of the past.
I have lived in River West and Bayview. I still own property in Bayview. I don’t believe Bayview or any part of the city will be hurt by removing this blighted concrete scar through a prime part of Milwaukee. The Third Ward and Walkers Point below it are the newest, thriving, youth-attracting parts of our city. Let’s expand on that. Let’s expand the vibe!
I understand taking down I-794 would be strong inconvenient for some people. And that is truly unfortunate. But I believe it is even more unfortunate that we keep this city divided. . . . right smack dab in the middle of its biggest asset. Change is hard. But not changing is devastating.
Bravo billynano. Well said. “Unbox Milwaukee” and “Let’s expand the vibe!”
NOW is the time to change for the better and the future of our fine city.
I believe there is one option proposed by the DOT which would create 6 plus acres for development by closing several on ramps to the freeway. This area is already very dense with traffic and parking is horrible. Developing the six acres with an emphasis on quality of life neighborhood development would give the current residents a reason for staying downtown and not become like downtown Chicago. The 794 could still be used for traffic.
Once again, Bay View vs. City of Milwaukee. Dismantling 794 will cause all the industrial traffic (think dump trucks full of salt and oil tankers) that service Jones Island to be re-routed through Bay View Neighborhoods over to 94 instead of avoiding city traffic by going up and over the Hoan and then directly to 94. When I formed the coalition to Save the Hoan (this bridge is not being dismantled under this proposal), we were educated about the industrial traffic that does serve Jones Island. This is the central storage area for most of the salt serving the entire State of Wisconsin. It is substantial and reason alone to maintain at least one lane of a connector.
Inject this op-ed into my veins.
I think most would agree that these concerns against removal are valid. Nobody likes traffic. A healthy city needs a strong port. Quick access to/through downtown is convenient. But… Is committing to another 50 years of auto-centric infrastructure in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, estimated to cost over $300 million, worth it? And is it the only way to solve these concerns that people have over removal? I’m not sure when the last time $300+ million of taxpayer funding was invested into rail infrastructure in Milwaukee, or $1.7 billion (I94 expansion), or $3.29 billion (Zoo interchange in 2024 dollars). You get the point. We need to rethink how auto-centric infrastructure fits into the urban fabric in 2025 and beyond. A robust rail network isn’t the silver bullet here but it’s an example of how we can address these concerns in different ways. Could it be more inconvenient for some? Probably. But is it a $300+ million type of inconvenience? I’d say no.
Yes, I live in Milwaukee. And yes, of course I use I794 because it is convenient for me. But I also recognize that our city can be and should be better. Given all of the negatives that come with auto-centric infrastructure, we need to be willing to think outside of the box in how we can address these urban concerns. Because if we continue with the status quo, it could cost us in the long run.
Tear it down! The biggest arguments I have seen against it are from commuters lamenting the fact that they may have to leave the house two minutes sooner, which is really quite hard to sympathize with considering the stain it leaves on our city and the benefits that would come from tearing it down. Many people also overlook the biggest immediate impact, which would be the hundreds in millions of dollars in cost savings.