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WisDOT, county update Reimagining WIS 175 study; reduced alternatives due for public comment
Summary
Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Milwaukee County presented an update on the Reimagining WIS 175 feasibility study, which is evaluating alternatives — including ending, reconstructing or shifting the highway — and plans a third public meeting; cost estimates for corridor alternatives range roughly from $125 million to $160 million.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Milwaukee County staff updated the committee on the Reimagining WIS 175 feasibility study, which examines options to reconnect neighborhoods and Washington Park along State Trunk Highway 175.
Doug Kane, project manager with WisDOT, said the study area runs north of the stadium interchange up to Lisbon Avenue and abuts 14 neighborhoods and three parks. He said the corridor is aging — “parts of 175 are nearly 70 years old” — and the study aims to evaluate safety, multimodal access, social and economic reconnection opportunities and environmental and equity considerations.
The study team reported a program of public outreach including two public involvement meetings (the second, April 30, 2024, drew about 350 sign-ins and 250 returned comment forms plus 196 online surveys), advisory committees and walking tours. Engineers developed several alternatives for different segments: reconstructing the existing depressed highway with interchange improvements, bringing the roadway to grade with at-grade intersections, shifting the roadway east or west, one-way pairs, tunnels or ending the highway at various points. The team narrowed alternatives into three reduced themes (ending the highway at the north end, mid-corridor or south end) to be detailed for a third public involvement meeting planned for early April 2025.
Initial corridor cost estimates provided by WisDOT range from roughly $125 million to $160 million depending on the alternative. WisDOT asked the committee to note that a preferred alternative would not be selected at the planning study stage; environmental review (NEPA) and preliminary design would follow if funding is secured. The earliest construction window cited by the project team, contingent on NEPA, preliminary design, funding and coordination with the I‑94 East‑West project, would begin around 2030.
Staff also noted that deed restrictions placed on some Washington Park parcels at the time of prior transfers may require review and possible revision by the city or county to enable reconnection options. The study continues to refine geometric drawings, traffic modeling and cost estimates ahead of the next round of public engagement.
