The City of Milwaukee and the state Department of Transportation will host a public information meeting on the Lakefront Gateway Project, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 4-7 p.m. in the upper level of the Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St., Milwaukee.
The meeting will be an open house allowing the public to view concepts and provide feedback on the plans for the project.
The Lakefront Gateway project includes the removal, realignment and reconstruction of the eastbound I-794 exit ramp to North Lincoln Memorial Drive and the westbound I-794 entrance ramp from North Lincoln Memorial Drive.
The project also includes reconstruction of several city streets including East Clybourn Street, from East Van Buren Street to North Lincoln Memorial Drive, and the reconfiguration and reconstruction of North Harbor Drive and North Lincoln Memorial Drive from East Michigan Street to East Chicago Street.
The purpose of the $34 million Lakefront Gateway project is to open up more land near the lakefront for development and to improve public access to the lakefront area. Last year city, county and state officials announced a deal in which the state will spend $16 million to reconfigure the Lake Interchange ramps to free up a three-acre site for future development near the lakefront. The city will use $18 million in TIF funds generated by the 32-story Northwestern Mutual office tower project to pay for road and pedestrian improvements that it will make for the Lakefront Gateway project. The city will spend the $18 million to: repave and extend Lincoln Memorial Drive to Chicago Street in the Third Ward, rebuild Clybourn Street into a boulevard and extend it to Art Museum Drive, repave Cass Street from Wisconsin Avenue to Michigan Street, repave Michigan Street from Van Buren Street to Harbor Drive, repave Harbor Drive from Clybourn Street to Chicago Street and build new pedestrian bridges from the Milwaukee County Transit Center site to O’Donnell Park and to the lakefront Urban Park.
Additional information about the Lakefront Gateway project is available by clicking here.