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Lakefront Gateway Project entrance to offer easier access for Summerfest

Posted at 6:07 PM, Jun 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-13 19:07:30-04

There is still a long way to go for the Lakefront Gateway Project to be finished, but Tuesday's ribbon cutting for a new entrance will start to make things easier.

"This is going to make the area much more attractive," said County Executive Chris Abele. "It connects the whole entrance to the city on the other end."

The ribbon cutting opened up the entrance at the intersection of North Lincoln Memorial Drive and the I-794 exit. Officials say this new addition will make the Summerfest area more accessible and safe.

"The past worked out fine," said Don Smiley, President & CEO of Milwaukee World Festivals. "We were still able to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people and we'll be able to do it more comfortably with this design."

"We've turned the back door into the front door and it really enhances the beauty of what we have here," said Mayor Tom Barrett.

The effort is something long in the making but there's still plenty to be done. The Lakefront Gateway Project has only just begun as the city, county and state work together to make the Downtown Lakefront as appealing as possible.

"Another new tower is coming up as a part of this," Abele said. "The Couture. There's going to be pedestrian bridges. It's going to be a lot easier for the city to engage with the lakefront."

"We think there is going to be even more development here," Barrett said. "That's what we want. We want this to be a place where everyone from Milwaukee, from Milwaukee County, from the state of Wisconsin can come and enjoy our beautiful lakefront."

Click here to see a complete map of the Lakefront Gateway Project.