Mayor Johnson signals support for reconfiguring 794 as discussions continue over future of the interstate

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- This week Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson signaled renewed support for taking down Interstate 794.

The future of the highway has been up for debate for years as WisDOT decides what to do with the aging structure.

Regardless of whether 794 is repaired, replaced, or taken down, it will take a lot of time and a lot of money.

But this week Mayor Cavalier Johnson made it clear where he stands.

During remarks Tuesday after he was sworn into his term, Johnson said, "What's the downtown their kids and grandkids will inherit?"

That question has been debated for years as aging infrastructure has forced the city and state to consider the future of 794.

A vocal contingent wants to take down the interstate altogether, removing a physical barrier that separates the historic third ward from downtown Milwaukee.

Architect Taylor Korslin said, "It's been done before. It's not the first time Milwaukee has even done it before with the Park East."

Korslin is part of the group Rethink 794, which has presented its pitch to remove the road several times over the past few years.

This week, Johnson again signaled his support, saying, "We shouldn't be thinking about our commutes today, we should be thinking about the city we want in the future, 30 years from now."

Johnson said removing 794 will reconnect the city. "It offers a chance to maximize growth and maximize investment while keeping transportation connectivity here in the city."

Per the Connec+ing MKE 2040 plan approved by the common council last year, the city's official position backs the eventual removal of 794 and replacing it with a traditional street grid.

Some people have expressed concern over added traffic on those streets, but Korslin said new city streets could handle the added volume. "The grid would be maintained, and cars would disperse throughout that grid. And city streets are really good at doing that."

And Korslin reiterated the Rethink group's claim that newly available land would attract relocations not just from the suburbs, but he said, "Relocations nationally for businesses and more employers to come to downtown. This is a very attractive place between the river and the lake."

WisDOT is still in the information gathering phase of the process. Any decision will take years to begin and many more to complete. Korslin said it could take 5 years for shovels to hit the ground, regardless of what's decided.