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

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

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