March 15, 2024

By Lane Kimble

MADISON, Wis. — A busy and often backed-up section of freeway in Milwaukee is about to see a lot of construction activity over the next five years.

Friday, WisDOT announced it received a Record of Decision (ROD) from the Federal Highway Administration for its I-94 East-West Corridor expansion.  The ROD allows WisDOT to now move into final design work and begin construction as soon as 2025.

The focus is on a 3.5-mile stretch between 70th and 16th streets running past American Family Field. The section of freeway is old, worn down, and unsafe.

“It’s going to be a big project, because we’re doing it right. We’re not just putting a patch on it and having to do it again in four to five years,” WTBA Exec. Director Steve Baas told The Daily Reporter on Tuesday. “This is a fundamental redesign and reconstruction (to) improve safety, mobility and build for the future.”

WisDOT’s preferred alternative includes expanding the freeway from six to eight lanes and inserting a diverging diamond interchange near the ballpark, along with safety and structural improvements.

The ROD places cost estimates at $1.74 billion, when measured for inflation through 2031.

“If you’re a farmer in northwest Wisconsin, this project means something to you, because your goods are moving this way,” Baas said in TDR article.

“If you’re a manufacturer in Manitowoc, your goods are moving through this corridor.  For the metro Milwaukee region, it has an extra benefit of increasing mobility for both people who live here and people who enjoy Milwaukee and visit.”