Overview
- Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson formally recommended keeping the elevated I-794 segment in place after reviewing traffic analyses, submitting the advisory to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
- WisDOT is studying multiple options for the aging corridor — rebuild in place, modernize the elevated roadway, slim the highway, or remove it and build a street-level boulevard — but the mayor’s recommendation is nonbinding.
- Johnson said traffic studies show that bringing freeway volumes to surface streets would risk widespread gridlock during the summer festival season and when lift bridges open, which could make parts of the lakefront area impassable.
- He warned that removal could shift truck traffic into neighborhoods and disrupt freight to Port Milwaukee, which he cited as generating about 1,000 truck trips per day, and argued nearby developable land reduces the value of tearing down the highway.
- The state and the Federal Highway Administration will continue a multi-year environmental review with technical studies and public input before selecting a preferred alternative and setting any construction timeline.