What if Milwaukee’s downtown transportation system reflected the city we are today?
620WTMJ - 5/4/2025
The Market District, Festival Landing, Mastodon Yards — those are a few names of what architecture students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee envision as new city districts to replace part of the Interstate 794 corridor. Over the Spring semester, two groups of graduate students in an Urban Design Seminar created the first proposals for new neighborhoods, streets and economic activity if part of I-794 was removed.
“We took a lot of time studying other cities that have also done highway redevelopment projects, realizing that it’s not really something new,” student Molly Burns told WTMJ at an open house at the Third Street Market Hall on Thursday. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has drafted several versions of a freeway removal plan, but doesn’t typically draft concepts for subsequent land use and development. That’s where the students come in — they designed replacement concepts for one mile of the freeway from the Hoan ramps to the Marquette Interchange over a 30-year timeline. “We want to reevaluate how we can stitch together the communities downtown and in the Third Ward,” student Dulce Carreno told WTMJ. Her group’s plan called The Stitch focuses on reconnecting neighborhoods, centered around the Public Market.
Urban Milwaukee - 5/2/2025
UWM Students Design A Future Without I-794
In a visionary urban design seminar, 14 students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture and Urban Planning tackled the question: "If I-794 comes down, what's possible?" Guided by professors Carolyn Esswein and Larry Witzling, the students developed two comprehensive master plans—dubbed "Mastodon" and "The Stitch"—envisioning the transformation of the elevated freeway segment between the Marquette Interchange and the Hoan Bridge into vibrant, connected urban spaces. Their proposals include mixed-use developments, expanded public spaces, enhanced transit options, and the addition of over 7,000 housing units, potentially generating $100 million in annual property tax revenue. These student-led concepts aim to reconnect Milwaukee's downtown with the Historic Third Ward, offering a blueprint for sustainable urban revitalization.
UW-Milwaukee students present exciting ideas for I-794 change
For years, Milwaukee city leaders have talked about reimagining the section of interstate 794 that cuts through downtown to the lakefront. On Thursday, May 1, 2025, students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee put their own ideas on display. Graduate students in the Urban Planning Program hosted an open house at the Third Street Market Hall. They presented semester-long projects on what's possible in the interstate were to be removed.
Real-life discussions have focused on traffic, but Professor Carolyn Esswein at UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning says this was all about development.
"We have a great track record doing this," said Esswein. "Other years, we've looked at everything from Park East to the Harbor District, so it's a good experience for the students, but also the public to give their thoughts and reactions to what's possible over 30 years."
Resident towers, interconnected neighborhoods: see UWM students' visions for I-794 removal
Architecture and urban planning students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee put together proposed master plans for the land that would become available if Interstate 794 was removed. Their proposals reimagine the space with residential towers, interconnected neighborhoods, and enhanced public amenities, aiming to reconnect the city’s downtown with the Historic Third Ward and stimulate economic growth. These student-led concepts contribute to the ongoing discourse on sustainable urban development and the potential reshaping of Milwaukee's infrastructure.
UWM urban planning students' open house shares findings from 794 removal seminar
First we saw what can happen when you tear down a freeway spur that slices through Downtown as the Park East freeway corridor has come alive with the Deer District and other development. Then the Wisconsin Department of Transportation began considered the idea of removing the I-794 spur Downtown and replacing it with a boulevard as part of its study for the future of the freeway segment. (The DoT is now down to four options, including replacement in kind, two options for improving the freeway spur and tearing it down.)
Rethink 794, a volunteer advocacy group that supports removing that section of freeway, created renderings that show how that part of the city could look in the future, and later released a report by urban planner Dr. Larry Witzling. Now, students from UWM’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning are wrapping up a semester spent looking at the long-term potential for development if the section of 794 was removed.
CBS 58 - 11/22/24
Study: Removing I-794 would bring $475 million in property taxes, create 3,000 new housing units
-By A.J. Bayatpour
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A longtime urban planner for Milwaukee and its surrounding communities estimates tearing down the stretch of I-794 running through downtown would generate $475 million in property tax revenue over a 30-year period.
Larry Witzling, who teaches urban planning at UW-Milwaukee and has been involved in the design of numerous past Milwaukee County projects, including the 2003 Park East freeway removal, conducted a study for the group, 'Rethink 794,' which supports removing the Lake Interchange section of the freeway, which runs between 6th Street and the lakefront.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 11/21/24
Replacing I-794 with surface streets would bring 3,000 housing units over 30 years, study says
-By Tom Daykin
Replacing part of downtown Milwaukee's Interstate 794 with surface streets could generate more than 3,000 housing units, and $535 million in property and sales taxes, over 30 years, a new study says.
The study is sponsored by Rethink 794, a group of environmentalists, urbanists and others who favor the freeway's replacement. It was done in partnership with veteran urban planner Larry Witzling.
OnMilwaukee - 11/21/24
New study says I-794 removal could create almost $500 million in property taxes
-By Bobby Tanzilo
Community advocacy group Rethink 794 has released new estimates that suggest that removing the freeway spur through Downtown Milwaukee could, over the course of three decades, generate $475 million in property taxes, $3 billion in Downtown disposable income, $60 million in city sales tax and the creation of more than 3,000 new housing units.
The estimates come from a report created in collaboration with urban planner Larry Witzling, that explores “development capacity” over the next 30 years to show how new construction could replace the freeway spur and help generate development nearby, too.
Urban Milwaukee - 11/21/24
Interstate 794 through Downtown. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Converting 794 To Boulevard Could Yield 3,000 Housing Units, $1.1 Billion in Development
New analysis from urban planner Larry Witzling explores impact of overhauling downtown freeway.
-By Jeramey Jannene
A new report attempts to quantify the potential economic impact of replacing the east-west portion of Interstate 794 with a boulevard.
The proposal, advocated for by a coalition known as Rethink 794, calls for replacing the elevated freeway with a boulevard between N. 6th Street and the Lake Interchange. It would leave the Hoan Bridge, while opening more land for development or public use and accommodating traffic by expanding Clybourn Avenue.
Fox 6 Milwaukee - 7/30/24
Using any mobile device, the initiative is able to showcase a vision that replaces I-794 with a boulevard alternative and development.
Experience I-794 as boulevard; Milwaukee group releases new renderings
-By Stephanie Quirk and FOX6 News Digital Team
An architectural engineer released on Tuesday, July 30, new renderings that allow users to view and experience I-794 as a boulevard. It does so with augmented reality.
A news release says using any mobile device, the initiative is able to showcase a vision that replaces I-794 with a boulevard alternative and development.
The public is invited to explore the augmented reality renderings this summer and fall. Either visit the website or head down to I-794 and do a side-by-side comparison with this technology on your cellphone.
ABC - WISN 12 Milwaukee - 7/30/24
Boulevard to replace I-794 in Milwaukee?
-By Kristin Pierce
Wisconsin Department of Transportation working to narrow down proposals during interchange study
“I support a reconfiguration of Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee,” said Johnson during his inauguration speech Tuesday morning at City Hall. “It offers a chance to maximize growth and maximize investment while keeping transportation connectivity here in the city.”
Changes could be coming to Interstate 794 in Milwaukee. One of the plans being proposed would replace the highway with a three-lane, two-way boulevard.
Right now, I-794 separates the Historic Third Ward from Downtown Milwaukee.
The group Rethink 794 wants it changed.
Urban Milwaukee - 7/30/24
See What Boulevard Replacing I-794 in Downtown Would Look Like
-By Jeramey Jannene
Rethink I-794 launches augmented reality experience to picture impact of conversion.The Rethink 794 campaign, which is calling for a freeway-to-boulevard version of Interstate 794 through downtown Milwaukee, released a new way to explore its vision Tuesday morning.
The augmented reality experience allows individuals to hold up a smartphone near the elevated freeway and experience what it could look like if replaced by a boulevard.
“If Milwaukee knows what we could have had, it will be harder for [the Wisconsin Department of Transportation] to deny it,” said architectural designer John Everitt to Urban Milwaukee. “While some of the renderings are fanciful, their statement is not. This can be a very real future for Milwaukee. We are trying to get the public excited about the possibilities and to inspire other concerned residents to do their own dreaming.”
Urban Milwaukee - 4/16/2024
Mayor Backs Boulevard To Replace I-794 Downtown
-By Jeramey Jannene
Mayor Cavalier Johnson has made his position clear on the proposal to rebuild Interstate 794 through Downtown. He would like to see some portion of the east-west elevated freeway converted to a boulevard, creating a more vibrant city.
“I support a reconfiguration of Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee,” said Johnson during his inauguration speech Tuesday morning at City Hall. “It offers a chance to maximize growth and maximize investment while keeping transportation connectivity here in the city.”
Interstate 794 through Downtown. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
OnMilwaukee - 4/9/2024
Swing bridge plan designer shares vision for 794 corridor
-By Bobby Tanzilo
Milwaukee says it wants - and it definitely needs - big ideas. And few are proposing bigger and more exciting ideas than architectural designer John Everitt.
Last year, Everitt – who graduated from UWM's School of Architecture and Urban Planning in 2022 and has worked for Bray Architects – shared a plan for the old railroad swing bridge that sits idle in the Milwaukee River.
Now, with the support of Greg Walthers, he has produced an impressive catalog of ideas for how the land that sits beneath and adjacent to the current I-794 freeway spur Downtown could be reimagined.
John Everitt
John Everitt
John Everitt has produced an impressive catalog of ideas for how the land that sits beneath and adjacent to the current I-794 freeway spur Downtown could be reimagined.
Milwaukee Business Journal - 3/15/2024
Opinion: I-794 removal chance to reshape downtown Milwaukee
-By Larry Witzling
In the next 30 years, boomers will be gone, millennials will be grandparents, and an unborn generation will inherit our downtown.
Will anyone remember Interstate 794 or the Park East freeway in 30 years? Will a new boulevard become a spectacular promenade from the river to Lake Michigan? Will the streets feel safer with less stress for pedestrians? Will anyone miss their old driving routes?
The next three decades gives us opportunities to replace ten blocks of I-794 and reshape downtown in all four directions. Such transformations, however, are not “no-brainers”.
As a planner in Milwaukee for 50 years, I believe replacing I-794 can give us a nationally acclaimed downtown. We can mitigate negative impacts for commuters, make a better journey-to-work, develop high value places to live, and grow business opportunities.
Urban Milwaukee - 1/31/2024
MURPHY’S LAW
No, I-794 Won’t Be Eliminated
-By Bruce Murphy
Many seem to think state proposal will tear down Hoan Bridge. Nope. Will that change the views of detractors?
The headlines gave many people in Milwaukee the idea that I-794 and its iconic Hoan Bridge were going to be torn down.
“Two plans to remove I-794,” declared the Journal Sentinel; “proposal to tear down I-794,” the Business Journal warned; “Prospects for Removing I-794,” Milwaukee Magazine announced; “weigh in on I-794 replacement or removal” offered the Biz Times; and whoops, even Urban Milwaukee had a story about “Potential I-794 Removal.”
Urban Milwaukee - 1/24/2024
WisDOT Getting Closer to I-794 Project Recommendations
-By Graham Kilmer
Seeking 'most feasible' ways to tear down 1 mile (or less) stretch of downtown freeway.
If the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) took down a one-mile stretch of Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee, what would it look like? Based on recent comments made by project managers from WisDOT and the engineering consultant HNTB, they have some idea.
WisDOT has two preliminary design concepts for potential removal of the portion of I-794 running through Downtown. A project consultant noted that one of these concepts appears the “most feasible” of the two during a presentation to the Milwaukee County Board’s Committee on Transportation and Transit Tuesday.