Opposing Mayor, Council Members Back Boulevard to Replace I-794

Interstate 794 between Downtown and the Historic Third Ward. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Three Milwaukee Common Council members are pushing back against Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s support for preserving an elevated freeway through Downtown.

Council members Alex Brower, Robert Bauman and Sharlen P. Moore issued a joint statement Monday calling on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to remove Interstate 794 between the Marquette Interchange and the Hoan Bridge and replace it with a street-level boulevard.

“The mayor is only one part of local government, and importantly, his position does not reflect that of the entire city,” said the council members.

Johnson announced July 8 that he prefers a “freeway improvement” alternative that would shrink the highway’s footprint and eliminate or consolidate several ramps, but retain an elevated freeway connection through Downtown.

The council members said the state should instead pursue the more transformative boulevard alternative, which WisDOT estimates would create approximately 16 acres of developable land.

“Removal of the freeway would bring numerous long-term benefits to Milwaukee,” they said. “Namely, it would create 16 acres of developable land that could support additional housing, attract new residents, grow the city’s tax base and support local businesses.”

They said redevelopment of the highway land should include affordable and accessible housing, citing Johnson’s designation of 2026 as Milwaukee’s “year of housing.”

“The highway-to-boulevard vision is clearly the best option to provide jobs, housing options and increase the tax base to support city services,” said the council members. “Again, we do not support reconstructing an elevated highway through downtown Milwaukee.”

The statement reveals a split within city government as WisDOT moves toward selecting a preferred alternative for the aging freeway. The elevated structure, constructed in the early 1970s, is in need of replacement.

WisDOT held its final public open house on the project’s design concepts in May. The agency is expected to select a preferred alternative in 2027, with construction potentially beginning in 2030.

The freeway improvement alternative supported by Johnson would create an estimated 5.1 acres of developable land and could generate approximately $280 million in new development, according to WisDOT.

Depending on the ramp configuration, the improvement plan is expected to cost between $675 million and $1 billion.

The boulevard alternative would cost an estimated $850 million to $1.25 billion, according to WisDOT, but could make approximately 16 acres available for development and generate an estimated $790 million in new investment.

Johnson said last week that the potential traffic consequences of removing the freeway outweighed the additional development benefits. He cited concerns about congestion, downtown lift bridges and the possibility that port traffic would be diverted onto streets in 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,” said Johnson.

Brower, Bauman and Moore rejected the idea that existing traffic patterns should dictate the corridor’s future.

“We should not bristle at the idea of freeway removal simply because it represents the greatest departure from the current status quo,” they said. “We should embrace the change that will yield the greatest long-term benefit for Milwaukee, rather than settling for less because of established traffic patterns.”

The council members pointed to the removal of the Park East Freeway in the early 2000s as evidence that Milwaukee residents and commuters could adapt to the loss of an urban freeway segment.

The former Park East corridor has subsequently attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in development, including Fiserv Forum, Deer District, The Moderne and several apartment and office projects. Some parcels created through the freeway removal remained vacant for years before development occurred.

Under the “freeway improvement” alternative, the Broadway and Milwaukee Street ramps would be removed, while the Jackson and Van Buren street ramps would be consolidated. The lakefront ramps would also be simplified or shifted south, with access centered around an extended E. St. Paul Avenue.

The boulevard option, initially advocated for by the Rethink 794 coalition, would have the elevated structure replaced by a boulevard on Clybourn Street between the Hoan Bridge and N. 6th Street. A new lift bridge would need to be constructed over the Milwaukee River.

The final decision rests with state and federal transportation officials, though city support could carry substantial influence as WisDOT evaluates the alternatives.

Johnson acknowledged that dynamic when announcing his position. “I’m the mayor of the city, so hopefully it carries a lot,” he said of his opinion.

The freeway runs through Bauman’s district, with Brower representing the district just northeast of Downtown and Moore representing the area generally west of N. 35th Street.

The Wisconsin State Legislature will ultimately need to fund the project, with rebuilding the freeway as is remaining the cheapest option available.

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