The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is working on a $300 million plan to rebuild portions of I-794 between Milwaukee Street in downtown Milwaukee and the Hoan Bridge.
WisDOT is seeking public comments on the project. Some, including environmental advocacy group 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, say that instead of spending $300 million to rebuild part of I-794, a major portion of the freeway should be torn down, replacing it with a boulevard to eliminate the barrier it creates between downtown and the Third Ward and free up a large amount of valuable real estate for new development.
That would be an extremely bold move with potential to drastically improve the southern edge of downtown and the northern edge of the Third Ward. But there would be a lot to consider and study, including cost and traffic impact.
I-794 is a key link between downtown and the south shore, including the city’s Bay View neighborhood and suburbs St. Francis, Cudahy, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek. That connection would still exist via the Lake Parkway and the Hoan Bridge. But 794 is also used by drivers to get between the south shore and points beyond downtown. If the portion of 794 between downtown and the Third Ward was eliminated, that traffic would have to pass through the area on a slower boulevard.
The development potential of eliminating I-794 between downtown and the Third Ward is huge. It would be a tremendous opportunity to grow the city’s tax base.
However, it would take time to see that potential fulfilled. It took years for development to occur in the former Park East freeway corridor, after that freeway spur was torn down in 2003. Although a lot of development eventually did occur there, significant portions of the corridor remain vacant. Also, a development site created in 2016 by a reconfiguration of the Lake Interchange (where I-794’s east-west and north-south portions meet) has yet to attract any development.
Because of investments made in other parts of I-794, including Hoan Bridge upgrades, some doubt that WisDOT would tear down part of the freeway. That includes Bruce Westling, managing director of Newmark’s Milwaukee office and a veteran commercial real estate broker and advisor. Recently he’s been pushing a more modest, and what he sees as a more realistic, plan to change I-794. Westling says a couple of I-794 ramps should be removed. That would improve the pedestrian experience and connection between downtown and the Third Ward and help attract more development to the area along the freeway, which still includes several surface parking lots, he says.
However, that idea just seems too modest. Milwaukee needs big ideas and bold moves to boost its stagnant economy, and this is a big opportunity. While the devil is in the details, WisDOT needs to seriously consider eliminating the freeway between downtown and the Third Ward.
