Interstate 794 (I-794; also known as East–West Freeway, Lake Parkway, and Lake Freeway) is a
auxiliary Interstate Highway
Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways) are a supplemental subset of the freeways within the Interstate Highway System of the United States.
Auxiliary routes are generally classified as spur routes, which conn ...
in
Milwaukee County in the US state of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. It is one of two auxiliary Interstates in the
Milwaukee metropolitan area, serves the lakefront and the
Port of Milwaukee
The Port of Milwaukee, branded as Port Milwaukee, is a port in the city of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan. It primarily serves Southeastern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northern Illinois. The port owns of rail that connect to two Class I r ...
, and connects downtown with the southeastern suburbs of
St. Francis,
Cudahy, and
South Milwaukee
South Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2020 census.
History
South Milwaukee was laid out in 1891 by the South Milwaukee company within the Town of Oak Creek, with the purpose o ...
.
Route description
I-794 begins at the
Marquette Interchange in downtown
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, where
I-94 and
I-43 meet. It continues eastward through downtown and turns southward near
Lake Michigan at Lincoln Memorial Drive. The route crosses the
Milwaukee River
The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 Once a locus of industry, the river is now the c ...
and the Port of Milwaukee as well as the
Henry Maier Festival Park
Henry Maier Festival Park is a 75-acre festival park located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the shore Lake Michigan and is the site of the annual Summerfest musical festival and the home of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
History Be ...
via the
Hoan Bridge
The Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge is a tied-arch bridge that connects Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the Lake Freeway across the Milwaukee River inlet. Originally called the Harbor Bridge, it was renamed after Daniel Hoan, one ...
. The entire route is elevated on a
viaduct. The Interstate designation ends at exit 3 at Carferry Drive, which provides access to the
Lake Express ferry to
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expans ...
; the highway continues south as
State Trunk Highway 794 (WIS 794), also known as the Lake Parkway, to the intersection of Pennsylvania and Edgerton avenues on Cudahy's west side, running parallel and adjacent to the east side of
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is a civil–military airport south of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States., effective May 21, 2020. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Ai ...
.
Traffic volumes on I-794 range from 40,400 vehicles per day on the Hoan Bridge to 100,000 on the east–west Freeway.
History
The original plans for the Lake Freeway called for it to begin north of downtown Milwaukee at a connection to the proposed
Park East Freeway
In Milwaukee, freeways were constructed in response to an 8.5% increase in population during the 1940s. Road plans were drawn up in the 1950s through the 1970s and several freeways were built. A lack of foresight resulted in several communities ...
, then to travel south from the downtown Milwaukee area to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. However, the
Hoan Bridge
The Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge is a tied-arch bridge that connects Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the Lake Freeway across the Milwaukee River inlet. Originally called the Harbor Bridge, it was renamed after Daniel Hoan, one ...
was the only segment of the freeway to be built before strong opposition to the freeway resulted in its cancelation. This led to the Hoan Bridge being called the "Bridge to Nowhere" as it sat unused, with both of its ends unconnected to any other road, for three years. The unfinished bridge was long held as being used as the site of the car chase scene in the movie ''
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...
''.
In a 2016 article for the ''
Shepherd Express
The ''Shepherd Express'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
History
The paper originated in May 1982 as the ''Crazy Shepherd'', its name derived from a line in Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Footnotes to Howl” ...
'', author Michael J. Prigge, pointing out that the bridge had been opened for two years when the film was shot, indicated another incomplete segment of I-794 had been used for the scene. An east–west freeway was later constructed between the
Marquette Interchange and the Hoan Bridge, creating what is now known as I-794.
As part of his campaign for a more livable city in Milwaukee, Mayor
John Norquist
John Olof Norquist (born October 22, 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American politician who was the 37th mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as mayor from 1988 until he left office in 2004 to lead the Congress for the New Urbanism.
P ...
proposed to tear down the I-794 portion of the east–west freeway in 1995 in favor of a surface boulevard. His opposition to the freeway was rooted in the freeway cutting off the
Historic Third Ward from the rest of downtown Milwaukee and hindering development in the area. His effort failed when suburban opposition to the removal cited increased traffic volume on the road as well as the new Lake Parkway nearing completion. After opening, the Lake Parkway increased traffic volumes on I-794 to 111,000 vehicles per day by 2004.
The Marquette Interchange construction project undertaken between 2004 and 2008 rebuilt the east–west viaduct section of I-794 between the interchange and the Milwaukee River.
In February 2010,
Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik and
South Milwaukee
South Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2020 census.
History
South Milwaukee was laid out in 1891 by the South Milwaukee company within the Town of Oak Creek, with the purpose o ...
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.
Exit list
See also
*
References
External links
East–West Freewaya
Wisconsin Highwaysa
Wisconsin Highwaysfrom Wisconsin Highways
{{3di, 94
94-7
94-7
Interstate 94
Freeways in the Milwaukee area
Transportation in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin