MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is debating the future of the I-794 interchange in downtown Milwaukee, presenting four options to the public during Thursday's meeting that drew hundreds of attendees.
WisDOT has spent the last few years examining alternatives for I-794's future, narrowing down to four distinct options.
The first option involves the total removal of I-794, which would open space for retail, recreation, and housing development in downtown Milwaukee.
The second option would replace the current structure in kind, reconstructing I-794 while maintaining its existing footprint.
Watch: WisDOT's I-794 Interchange Study draws differing opinions from Milwaukee locals
The remaining two options are freeway improvement plans that would keep the structure but consolidate it to reduce its overall footprint.
"Highways running throughout neighborhoods no longer work," said Montavius Jones, a member of the volunteer group Rethink 794, which advocates for the total removal option.
"The removal of 794 will unlock so much potential, so much opportunity as far as jobs, housing opportunities, new retail opportunities, new amenities, new green space," Jones said.
Many opponents of the removal option worry about increased travel time and traffic coming into downtown from I-94 and the Hoan Bridge.
However, Ryan Breaker, who lives in South Milwaukee and frequently uses I-794, doesn't share those concerns.
"The improvements to the city are massive, I think the potential is massive, I believe the concerns are going to largely end up being unfounded," Breaker said.
For some stakeholders, the potential changes raise concerns about preserving local history.
Chuck Lazzaro is advocating for Pompeii Square, a memorial located under I-794 that commemorates the Pompeii Church, which was demolished to accommodate the highway's construction in the 1960s.
"It was put there by our club to remember the church and our roots of the Italian community that was in the third ward," Lazzaro said.
Lazzaro worries that a large construction project on I-794 could leave the memorial with the same fate as the church it represents.
"We want to make sure whatever option they pick here does not affect our monument," Lazzaro said.
Any plan chosen will need to go through environmental review and approval before WisDOT can identify funding availability. Construction is not anticipated to begin until the 2030s.
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