Interstate 794

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Interstate 794
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
East-West Freeway, Lake Freeway
Maintained by WisDOT
Length: 3.75 mi[1] (6.04 km)
Formed: Early 1980s
West end: I-43 / I-94 / US 41 in Milwaukee
East end: WIS 794 at the South Carferry Drive interchange in Milwaukee
Wisconsin highways
< I-535 WIS 794 >
County - Bannered - Rustic

Interstate 794 (abbreviated I-794 and also known as the East-West Freeway and Lake Freeway) is an east-west interstate highway spur route in Milwaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is one of two auxiliary Interstates in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and serves the lakefront, the Port of Milwaukee and connects downtown with the southeastern suburbs of St. Francis, Cudahy and South Milwaukee.


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[edit] Route description

I-794 begins at the Marquette Interchange in downtown Milwaukee, where Interstate 94 and Interstate 43 meet. It continues eastward just south of the central business district and takes a tight right turn southward at Lincoln Memorial Drive. The route crosses the Milwaukee River and the Port of Milwaukee via the Hoan Bridge. The entire route is elevated on a viaduct on both approaches to the bridge. The interstate designation ends at Exit 3 (Carferry Drive), the highway continues south as WIS 794, also known as the Lake Parkway to the intersection of Pennsylvania and Edgerton Avenues on Cudahy's west side, paralleling the east side of General Mitchell International Airport.[2]

[edit] History

The original plans for I-794 were for it to continue from the Downtown Milwaukee area to Mitchell Airport, however, they were not realized at its original construction, leaving it unfinished for many years. This has led the Hoan Bridge to be called "The Bridge to Nowhere." This unfinished construction was used as the site of the car chase scene in the movie The Blues Brothers.

[edit] Exit list

County Location #[3] Destinations Notes
Milwaukee Milwaukee 1A I-94 West / US 41 North Western terminus
1B I-43 South / I-94 East / US 41 North – Chicago Westbound POV
1C I-43 North – Green Bay
1H Civic Center, J Lovell St Eastbound Exit only
Exit to open in 2008[3]
1D Plankinton Ave Eastbound Exit from I-43 North / I-94 West only[4]
1E Jackson St, Van Buren St Eastbound
Milwaukee St Westbound
1F Lakefront Eastbound
Michigan St Westbound
3 Port of Milwaukee Eastern Terminus
becomes WIS 794

[edit] References

[edit] External links