Interstate 794

Interstate 794
East–West Freeway, Lake Freeway
Route information
Maintained by WisDOT
Length: 3.75 mi[1] (6.04 km)
Existed: Early 1980s – present
Major junctions
West end: I-43 / I-94 / US 41 in Milwaukee
East end: WIS 794 at the South Carferry Drive interchange in Milwaukee
Highway system

Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

Wisconsin highways
County • Bannered • Rustic

← I-535 WIS 794 →

Interstate 794 (abbreviated I-794 and also known as the East–West Freeway and Lake Freeway) is 3.75-mile (6.04 km) 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.

The freeway that is I-794 has been a center of controversy on several occasions. The original Lake Freeway intended to run from northeast of downtown at a connection with the then proposed Park Freeway East to south of the General Mitchell International Airport. The Hoan Bridge was the only segment of the freeway to be built before strong opposition to the highway forced its demise.[2] The east–west Freeway was extended east of the Marquette Interchange to connect with the bridge, hence opening I-794. A failed attempt was made in 1995 by then Mayor John Norquist to tear down the east–west freeway section due to increasing opposition and traffic volumes, along with the nearing completion of the Lake Parkway (WIS 794).

Contents

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 as well as the Henry Maier Festival Park 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, which provides access to the Lake Express ferry to Muskegon, Michigan), 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.[3] Traffic volumes on I-794 ranged from 40,400 vehicles per day on the Hoan Bridge to 100,000 on the east–west Freeway.[4]

History

The original plans for the Lake Freeway called for it begin at a connection to the proposed Park East Freeway north of its current point, then to continue from the Downtown Milwaukee area to Mitchell Airport. However, these were not realized at the freeway's original construction, leaving it unfinished for many years. This had led the Hoan Bridge to be called "The Bridge to Nowhere" as it sat with both of its end unconnected to any road for three years. This unfinished construction was used as the site of the car chase scene in the movie The Blues Brothers.[5]

As part of his campaign against freeways in Milwaukee, Mayor John O. Norquist proposed to tear down of the I-794 portion of the east–west Freeway in 1995 in favor of a surface boulevard. He believed that the freeway was cutting off the Historic Third Ward from the rest of downtown Milwaukee. His effort failed when opposition to the removal mounted citing increased traffic volumes on the road as well as the new Lake Parkway nearing completion, which after opening, allowed traffic volumes to increase to 111,000 by 2004.[5]

The Marquette Interchange construction project that was done between 2004 and 2008 rebuilt the viaduct section of I-794 between the interchange and the Milwaukee River.

In February 2010, Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik and South Milwaukee Mayor Tom Zepecki proposed a plan to expand I-794/Lake Parkway to Racine County. The expansion would follow an existing railroad corridor and was intended to relieve traffic along I-94.[6]

Exit list

The entire route is in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County.

Mile Exit[7] Destinations Notes
1A I-94 west / US 41 north Western terminus
1B I-43 south / I-94 east / US 41 south – Chicago
1C I-43 north – Green Bay
1H St. Paul Avenue, James Lovell Street Eastbound exit only
1D Plankinton Avenue Eastbound exit from I-43 north / I-94 west only[8]
1E Jackson Street, Van Buren Street
Milwaukee Street		 Signed eastbound for Jackson and Van Buren streets and westbound for Milwaukee Street
1F Lakefront Signed eastbound for the lakefront, and Michigan Street westbound
3 WIS 794 – Port of Milwaukee Eastern Terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ "Route Log and Finder List - Table 2". Federal Highway Administration. 2002-10-31. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.cfm. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  2. ^ Lake Freeway at Wisconsin Highways
  3. ^ "Milwaukee Co." (pdf). Wisconsin Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/docs/counties/milwaukee.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  4. ^ "2007 Milwaukee County Freeway System 2007 Mainline AADT Only Annual Average Daily Traffic (map 2 of 3)" (pdf). Wisconsin Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/counts/docs/milwaukee/milwaukee-freeway2007-pt1.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  5. ^ a b Bessert, Chris. "Wisconsin Highways: Highways 400-894 (I-894)". Wisconsin Highways. http://www.wisconsinhighways.org/listings/WiscHwys400-894.html#I-894. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  6. ^ Plan to Expand Lake Parkway in Works Retrieved 2010-09-12
  7. ^ Wisconsin Department of Transportation. "Exit numbers on Interstate 794". http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/road/exits-i794.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  8. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Interstate 794 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Interstate+794&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ll=43.032306,-87.917383&spn=0.009991,0.020084&z=16&om=1. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 

External links