December 12, 2025
By Lane Kimble
MADISON — Two critical freeway corridors on opposite sides of the state could get major expansion or reconstruction work in the coming years, improving safety and reliability.
The Transportation Projects Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve studies of I-94 in western Waukesha County and US-53 in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties.
The I-94 study will look at potentially expanding a 27-mile stretch between Willow Glen Road (just west of Oconomowoc) and the Zoo Interchange.
That area of the state has exploded in growth, with upwards of 142,000 vehicles using the eastern portion daily and 74,000 using the western portion.
Division of Transportation Investment Management Administrator Justin Shell says the western part is the busiest stretch of four-lane freeway in the entire state of Wisconsin. Drivers frequently struggle with delays due, in part, to 40 crash hotspots WisDOT identified along the corridor.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a commuter, if you’re transporting freight, or just trying to get to a Brewers or Bucks game, you’re going to experience this delay,” Shell said, noting such delays added up to around 1 million vehicle hours to commutes in 2024.
“You don’t know when you’re going to hit a situation like that where you come around the corner and you have brake lights.”
The study will look at possible benefits from freeway expansion and upgrades to many of the 14 interchanges along I-94 in Waukesha County.
RAPIDLY GROWING US-53 CORRIDOR ALSO GETS STUDY
The TPC also approved a study looking at a nine-mile stretch of US-53 that bypasses Eau Claire and runs north through Altoona toward Chippewa Falls.
Shell says this portion of US-53 carries more traffic than I-94 in Eau Claire County and has seen traffic volumes grow higher than expected. The study will look at whether to upgrade ramps, rebuild interchanges, expand beyond four lanes, or a mixture of all three.
The TPC meets every December and oversees the state’s Major and Southeast Mega programs. In odd-numbered years, it votes on sending potential projects to study. The TPC votes to recommend projects for funding in the state budget during even-numbered years.
It also reviews reports from WisDOT’s secretary each February and August.
The 15-person commission includes State Senate Transportation and Local Government Committee Chair Cory Tomczyk, Assembly Transportation Chair Nancy VanderMeer, and several citizen members. Gov. Tony Evers serves as TPC chairman.
“Obviously it’s an important meeting,” Gov. Evers said. “For the fourth (budget) in a row, we had an increase in transportation funding. Thank you so much for that.”
