Amid calls to replace I-794 with an at-grade boulevard to help spur downtown development, a more modest plan has surfaced: Remove two ramps.
Amid calls to replace Milwaukee's I-794 with an at-grade boulevard to help spur downtown development, a more modest plan has surfaced.
Removing two freeway ramps between the Milwaukee River and the Hoan Bridge would better connect downtown and the Historic Third Ward — helping promote more commercial projects just north of I-794.
That's the idea veteran commercial real estate broker Bruce Westling is promoting, including a presentation Tuesday at a commercial real estate conference.
Westling is targeting the I-794 on-ramp for eastbound traffic at North Broadway as well as the off-ramp for westbound traffic to North Milwaukee Street. That would still leave the on- and off-ramps at North Lincoln Memorial Drive and East Clybourn Street, just a few blocks away.
He's been discussing the idea with city leaders and others because the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has started planning to replace portions of I-794 from North Broadway through the Hoan Bridge's northern approach.
DOT has proposed spending $300 million to replace different pieces of I-794, including on- and off-ramps tied to the Hoan Bridge. Construction is tentatively set to run from 2025 through 2028.
The freeway portions to be replaced date to 1974.
They were not touched when part of I-794 east of the Milwaukee River was reconstructed from 2013 through 2016 — a project that included rebuilding the Hoan's concrete deck.
Calls to remove the I-794 freeway in downtown Milwaukee face uncertainty
DOT recently began seeking public comments on the project — leading 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, a Madison-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group, to ask people to speak in favor of taking down the freeway. That group and others say that would help bring development similar to what replaced the former Park East Freeway.
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, the Milwaukee area's largest business organization, supports studying the idea. A DOT representative said all ideas will be considered.
Westling, however, is dubious that such a plan would proceed — in part because then-Gov. Scott Walker and other state officials over a decade ago chose to instead spend $239 million on I-794 upgrades instead of demolishing the freeway.
"That ship has sailed," Westling said at Tuesday's Wisconsin Retail Conference sponsored by Commercial Association of Realtors-Wisconsin.
Removing the two ramps would be a much easier step, said Westling, managing director of the Milwaukee branch of Newmark, a commercial real estate brokerage.
"This is low-hanging fruit," Westling said during a presentation to brokers, developers and others attending the conference.
Area near I-794 and Milwaukee's Third Ward sees jolt in development in recent years
Removing the ramps would allow for more activation of the space beneath I-794, he said.
Also, removing the ramps would help downtown's southern portion tap into the Third Ward's strong development activity, Westling said.
That includes a heavy demand for retail space as well as a 31-story, 305-unit apartment tower that Houston-based Hines is developing at 333 N. Water St.
The area just north of I-794 has seen new developments in recent years, including the Couture apartment tower, under construction at 909 E. Michigan St,; the Huron Building, anchored by Husch Blackwell law firm and Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar, 511 N. Broadway; Central Standard Craft Distillery's new distillery, restaurant and event space at 320 E. Clybourn St., and two buildings at 515-525 N. Jefferson St. that house three hotels: a Home2 Suites by Hilton, a Tru by Hilton and a Holiday Inn Express.
But, Westling said, that same area between Clybourn and Michigan streets also has large parking lots and other underused properties.
He's hoping the idea of removing the ramps makes its way into the the city's revision of its downtown comprehensive plan. That work is ongoing and is expected to result in a draft plan for public review this fall.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Plan emerges to remove two I-794 ramps to spur Milwaukee development
