I-94 (70th St.-25th St.) East-West Corridor, Need/purpose

I-94 (70th St.-25th St.) East-West Corridor

Need/purpose

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Environmental documents

Public involvement

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I-94 (70th St.-25th St.) East-West Corridor - Need/purpose

Why is this study needed?

The I-94 East-West Freeway is one of the busiest routes in the state and is identified as a Corridors 2030 Backbone route. The corridor provides access to manufacturers, commuters and tourists within the Milwaukee metropolitan area and between Milwaukee and other areas including Madison, Chicago and Green Bay.

Crashes

Because of the outdated design, this part of the freeway system has over 300 crashes per year, which translates into a crash rate significantly higher than the statewide average for similar facilities (urban freeways). About 89% of the corridor contains crash problems that are significantly greater than the statewide average.

Existing/future traffic volumes

This section of I-94 carries high traffic volumes, which currently vary between 138,000 and 156,000 AADT (Average Annual Daily Traffic). These traffic volumes are expected to grow to a range from 171,000 to 181,000 by 2030; traffic increases range from 15% to 25% or more over that timeframe.

Purpose

WisDOT is conducting this study at the direction of the Transportation Projects Commission, or TPC, as a candidate “major” project per Wisconsin statutes. The TPC and Legislature have directed WisDOT to determine what, if any, reasonable alternatives can be developed to address the poor physical, operational, and safety characteristics of the existing highway through the study area.

WisDOT will investigate the existing corridor to assess access patterns, traffic volumes and operations, and other elements to help quantify what improvements may be warranted.

As part of the alternatives development process, any resulting impacts to adjacent homes, businesses and other lands will be quantified and presented in an Environmental Impact Statement to aid WisDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, review agencies, and interested stakeholders in the determination of the reasonableness of potential improvements.

Major study outcomes include:

Data collection within the corridor
Determination of access and infrastructure needs.
Traffic capacity analysis and forecasts.
Review of existing safety performance, and the efficiency of current freeway operations.
Development of design alternatives, which will include a “no-build” (maintenance) option.
Evaluating these alternatives and their impacts to homes, businesses, industries, institutions, public facilities, organizations, natural resources and the traveling public.
Full and continuous public involvement and agency coordination.

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