Mayor Opposes Replacing I-794 Connection With Downtown Boulevard

Mayor Cavalier Johnson during a press conference on 794. Photo taken July 8, 2026 by Sophie Bolich.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson wants changes on Interstate 794, but he doesn’t want to see the elevated freeway replaced with a boulevard.

“I prefer an option that will improve the existing road, maintaining the elevated portion of Interstate 794,” Johnson said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.

Johnson is supporting a “freeway improvement” plan that would shrink the east-west freeway’s footprint and reduce the number of ramps, but still maintain an elevated connection between the Marquette Interchange and the Hoan Bridge.

His announcement marks a significant milestone in the years-long process to identify a replacement plan for the aging freeway segment between the Milwaukee River and the Hoan Bridge. The freeway structure was built in the early 1970s and is in need of replacement.

In May, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation held its final open house meeting on the various design concepts under review. The agency is expected to pick a preferred alternative in 2027. Construction could begin in 2030.

While the final decision lies with state officials, Johnson said he hopes his perspective holds sway. “I’m the mayor of the city, so hopefully it carries a lot,” he said.

The “freeway improvement” plan endorsed by Johnson is expected to cost $725 million to $1 billion for right-side ramps or $675 million to $900 million for left-side ramps. City Engineer Kevin Muhs said the city does not have a preference between the two options and views the decision as a discussion with the state.

Rebuilding the freeway as is would cost between $425 million and $575 million. The improvement plan is estimated by WisDOT to be less costly than the boulevard option, which would affect a longer stretch of the freeway and cost between $850 million and $1.25 billion, but result in less development.

Reconfiguring the roadway would create 5.1 acres of developable land, which WisDOT estimates could result in $280 million in new development. The boulevard option could ultimately yield $790 million in new development on 16 acres of land.

Johnson pointed to a “very, very attractive site” just south of The Couture, which he said could accommodate a large-scale company. “There will be land that is available with the option I’ve discussed here,” he added, also noting that developable land already exists downtown in the form of surface-level parking lots. “We’ve already got dozens and dozens of acres that are ready for redevelopment.”

Though he previously considered bringing the highway to ground level, Johnson said the negative consequences of that alternative could outweigh its benefits, citing the potential for gridlock — especially during warmer months when lift bridges are active — as well as the rerouting of port traffic that could bring additional noise and disruption into residential neighborhoods.

“Given the decades of established traffic patterns here, I think it makes it a little more difficult for us to be able to accomplish what some have imagined could be accomplished with taking the freeway down,” Johnson said.

Under the freeway improvement option, the lakefront ramps, rebuilt as part of the Lakefront Gateway project, would be simplified or shifted south, with access pushed toward an extended E. St. Paul Ave. The existing Milwaukee Street and Broadway ramp pair would be removed, and the Van Buren and Jackson Street ramp pair would be consolidated on Jackson Street. The Hoan Bridge would remain, as would the freeway segment west of the Milwaukee River.

By backing an option that preserves a freeway connection, Johnson is avoiding conflict with his south suburban peers. The governments of St. Francis, South Milwaukee and Cudahy each passed a resolution opposing a freeway teardown.

He also stays aligned with a broad statement he made in April 2024, shortly after being reelected. “I support a reconfiguration of Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee,” Johnson said during his inauguration. “It offers a chance to maximize growth and maximize investment while keeping transportation connectivity here in the city.”

The mayor’s stance also fits within the broad language included in the 2024 Downtown Plan, adopted in 2023. “If full removal is not feasible via this current project, any interim alternative should prioritize modernization of the infrastructure to reduce the footprint, activation of the public spaces and streets under the bridges, improvements to the ramp connections and increased safety for pedestrian crossings,” says the plan.

Rethink 794, a coalition advocating for a boulevard option, questioned the state’s assumptions about the cost of the boulevard option and said the rebuild-as-is option does not meet modern safety standards.

“We think it’s short-sighted,” said Taylor Korslin, a Rethink 794 volunteer, calling the plan “a compromise option.”

The group was successful in advocating for WisDOT to fully study the boulevard option. In 2025, Muhs said the process was also being delayed because the city was asking a substantial number of questions to collect as much data as possible on the impact.

WisDOT held open house meetings that featured refined design options; estimated traffic impacts, including on a Milwaukee River bridge; and cost and development potential.

A project traffic study estimates that 26,600 vehicles make an end-to-end trip across the entire study area each day. More than double that total enter or exit the study area via a ramp and do not make an end-to-end trip, presumably to start or end a trip downtown.

Korslin criticized WisDOT’s data on gridlock and traffic patterns, which the mayor cited in his decision. “The DOT is going to overestimate those things,” he said. “Today is not the end. There’s still a lot of discussion to be had, and our group is going to keep pushing for an aspirational, transformative vision for this corridor, because it is so key to the success of Milwaukee.”

April/May 2026 Selected Display Boards

Full slides are available on the WisDOT project website.

WisDOT Meeting Video

November 2025 Meeting – Selected Project Display Boards

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