Citywide project · State freeway study
I-794 Rebuild
WisDOT's draft report was due this fall and is not out yet. No construction money.
The project as a whole
Being studied, planned, or designed. Money to build it has not been approved.
Many of the bridges that hold up I-794, the raised freeway between downtown and the Hoan Bridge, are wearing out. WisDOT is deciding whether to rebuild the freeway as it is, rebuild a modern version, or take it down and put a street-level boulevard in its place. Its draft report, which will name the option it prefers, has not come out yet.
Latest
The map
Map key
- Alder district borders
Tap any line to see that spot in Google Street View.
See it on the street
Live Google Street View. Drag to look around. Google’s photos can be a few years old, so some may show a street before or during its change.
N. Milwaukee St. downtown, looking south. The freeway crosses the street just ahead, with the Historic Third Ward on the other side.
N. Milwaukee St. in the Third Ward, looking north back toward downtown and the freeway.
On I-794 itself, heading east toward the Hoan Bridge. Drag to look around.
By the numbers
- of freeway in the study, from the Marquette Interchange to the Hoan Bridge
- 1.5 miles
- of freeway in the study, from the Marquette Interchange to the Hoan Bridge
- Federal Register, Dec. 5, 2025
- original bridges near the end of their useful life
- 28 of 35
- original bridges near the end of their useful life
- Federal Register, Dec. 5, 2025
- vehicles a day just east of the Milwaukee River (2022)
- 73,900
- vehicles a day just east of the Milwaukee River (2022)
- WisDOT
- vehicles a day on the Hoan Bridge (2022)
- 42,500
- vehicles a day on the Hoan Bridge (2022)
- WisDOT
- cost of the options, counting inflation
- $425M to $1.25B
- cost of the options, counting inflation
- WisDOT estimates, spring 2026
- earliest start of construction, and no money is set aside yet
- 2030
- earliest start of construction, and no money is set aside yet
- WisDOT, May 2026
The story
I-794 is the raised freeway that runs about 1.5 miles from the Marquette Interchange downtown to the Hoan Bridge. Most of it was built in the mid-1970s. The stretch has 55 bridges, and WisDOT says 28 of the 35 original ones are near the end of their useful life. That is why the state has to decide what comes next.
WisDOT is comparing four options, from doing only repairs to removing the freeway and building a street-level boulevard. Each one trades something away. Rebuilding as it is costs the least and keeps trips the same. Removing it costs the most up front, slows some car trips, and frees the most land for new buildings and streets. The full list, with costs and WisDOT's drawings, is below.
The choice has split local leaders. Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce support the improved freeway. Several Common Council members support the boulevard. Three south suburbs passed resolutions against removing the freeway. The decision belongs to WisDOT and the federal government, and no construction money has been set aside.
The federal notice that started the study said the draft report would come out in October 2026. As of November 1 it has not been published. WisDOT's website says late 2026, and news reports point to a public hearing in early 2027.
Timeline
- Dec. 2025 · DoneFederal notice starts the study
- Spring 2026 · DoneCost estimates for each option
- July 2026 · DoneMayor recommends Freeway Improvement
- Late 2026 or early 2027 · UnderwayDraft report names WisDOT's preferred option
- Expected early 2027 · PlannedPublic hearing
- 2027 · PlannedFinal decision
- 2030 at the earliest · PlannedConstruction could start
The money
$425 million to $1.25 billion depending on the option, counting inflation. Not funded.
- $425 million to $1.25 billion: Estimated cost of the four options (WisDOT display board)Paid by: not funded. Source, Spring 2026 ↗
From WisDOT's cost boards at the spring 2026 public meetings, as summarized by Urban Milwaukee.
Designs, renderings, and plans
What it could look like, from the agencies’ own drawings, renderings, and meeting boards. Each link opens their file.
- Rendering3D rendering: 6th Street and Clybourn Street A street-level picture of how this corner could look under the options.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Rendering3D rendering: Lincoln Memorial Drive and Clybourn Street A street-level picture of the lakefront end of the corridor.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Rendering3D rendering: Van Buren Street and St. Paul Avenue A street-level picture of the Third Ward and East Town edge of the corridor.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Design drawingFreeway Removal (boulevard) roll plot A long aerial drawing of the option that replaces the freeway with a street-level boulevard.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Design drawingReplace in Kind roll plot A long aerial drawing of rebuilding the freeway about as it is now.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Design drawingFreeway Improvement with Right-Hand Ramps roll plot A long aerial drawing of a rebuilt freeway with all ramps on the right side.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Design drawingFreeway Improvement with Left-Hand Ramps roll plot A long aerial drawing of a rebuilt freeway that keeps some left-side ramps.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- MapConstruction Limits board A map of where construction would happen under the options.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Meeting boardsSpring 2026 public meeting materials All display boards, roll plots, renderings, and cost boards from the spring 2026 meetings in one place.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Meeting boardsAlternative Groups board A one-page comparison of the four options side by side.WisDOT, Spring 2026
- Meeting boardsOpinion of Probable Costs board WisDOT's cost estimate for each option.WisDOT, Spring 2026
In the news
Recent stories from local news sites, public radio and TV, and advocacy groups (labeled), found through Google News and updated every morning. Headlines link to the outlet.
The options on the table
WisDOT option 1 (the baseline)
No Build
Keep the freeway and only do routine repairs. WisDOT says the worn-out bridges would keep getting worse, which could eventually mean weight limits or closing parts of the freeway. Every study has to compare its options against doing nothing.
WisDOT's explanation ↗WisDOT option 2
Replace in Kind
Rebuild the freeway and its ramps in about the same layout as today. It is the cheapest rebuild, but it fixes only some of the outdated design and adds little for walking or biking. WisDOT estimates it would free about 2.7 acres of land for new buildings.
Estimated cost: $425 million to $575 million
WisDOT drawing ↗WisDOT option 3, backed by Mayor Johnson and the MMAC
Freeway Improvement
Rebuild the raised four-lane freeway to modern standards without adding lanes, combine ramps into fewer, and reconnect some streets underneath. There are two versions, with the Jackson and Van Buren ramps on the left side or the right. WisDOT estimates about 5.1 acres freed. Mayor Cavalier Johnson recommended this option in July 2026.
Estimated cost: $675 million to $1 billion
WisDOT drawing ↗WisDOT option 4, backed by Alds. Brower, Bauman, and Moore
Freeway Removal
Take down the raised freeway between the Marquette Interchange and the Hoan Bridge and replace it with a street-level boulevard on Clybourn St., with a new movable bridge over the Milwaukee River. The Hoan Bridge stays, and its north end is rebuilt. WisDOT estimates about 16 acres freed for new buildings.
Estimated cost: $850 million to $1.25 billion
WisDOT drawing ↗Outside proposal, run by 1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Rethink 794
A citizen campaign for the boulevard idea, started in 2022 with renderings of downtown without the freeway. The group says removal would open about 32 acres and bring about $1.5 billion in new development. Those are the group's own estimates, not WisDOT's.
See the group's renderings ↗Business groups and south suburbs
Keep a freeway
St. Francis, South Milwaukee, and Cudahy passed resolutions against tearing the freeway down, worried about longer trips downtown. A study paid for by a commercial real estate group (the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin) says removal would cost the region more than $560 million a year. That is also an estimate made for one side of the debate.
Read about the study ↗
Who decides, and how to have a say
The State of Wisconsin. WisDOT runs the study and picks a preferred option, and the Federal Highway Administration must approve it. There is no construction money yet, so the Legislature and federal government would decide that later. The mayor, the Common Council, and nearby suburbs can only say what they want.
WisDOT plans a public hearing after the draft report comes out, expected in early 2027, where anyone can speak or send written comments. Until then, the study team takes comments through its website. Because the Legislature would have to pay for construction, your state senator and representative matter here too.
Sources, checked November 1, 2026: Federal Register notice, December 5, 2025 (length, bridges, schedule); WisDOT study site and FAQ (options, traffic counts, schedule); WisDOT, spring 2026 public meetings; Urban Milwaukee, May 1, 2026 (costs, acres, construction timing); Urban Milwaukee, July 8, 2026 (mayor's position); Urban Milwaukee, July 13, 2026 (council members' position); Urban Milwaukee, October 17, 2022 (Rethink 794 proposal); BizTimes, November 2025 (real estate group's study). Street View imagery © Google.