MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is actively discussing the future of the I-794 Lake Interchange in downtown Milwaukee, presenting three alternatives to address aging infrastructure.
On Tuesday, the public learned more about WisDOT's choices, which include replacing the interchange, reconstructing the freeway with a smaller footprint, or taking it down completely.
This project will not impact the rest of the Marquette Interchange or the Hoan Bridge.
Nate Hodges, a Greenfield resident, has pretty strong feelings about the freeway's future.
"It's an eyesore, it looks bad," Hodges said.
Hodges hopes WisDOT decides to remove the freeway and open the corridor for more economic opportunity.
"We're in the middle of a housing crisis, so all that developable land could easily be just more places for people to live," Hodges said.
Watch: Milwaukee County residents learn more about the possible future of I-794
Some argue that it could come with drawbacks. WisDOT shared travel time projections for all three alternatives on Tuesday. While travel times without traffic remain constant, commuters could spend about 20 more minutes traveling from UWM to the Howard exit on I-43 during rush hour if the freeway is removed.
More routes can be found here.
"I use I-794 probably five or six days a week," Said Jeffrey Reitz, a Bay View Resident.
Travel times are a big concern for Reitz, who uses the interchange to see friends and family. He hopes for the freeway to stay up, but with a smaller footprint.
"I-794 and that connection is a regional resource, not just the city of Milwaukee, and so they need to consider that also," Reitz said.
Any final decision is still over a year away, and construction won't happen for a couple of years after that. For now, people still have their chance to share their opinions.
WisDOT will give the same presentation at St. Thomas More High School at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Read more about the study and alternatives here.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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