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I-94 North-South corridor study - preferred alternative

Alternative | Racine/Kenosha | Milwaukee | Recap | Preferred alternative

The selected alternative

What will I-94 look like? Three options to reconstruct the freeway were studied:

• Replace-in-kind (six lanes)
• Modernization (six lanes)
• Modernization with capacity expansion (eight lanes)

The selected alternative is modernization of the freeway through design improvements with capacity expansion (eight lanes) that also produces safety improvements and congestion relief. 

Interchanges in Racine and Kenosha counties were originally identified and redesigned in a separate study in 1996. They were not reevaluated as part of this study.

Racine and Kenosha counties

The modernization (six lane) option would look much like it does today.

• Maintain three northbound and southbound lanes
• Provide consistent inside and outside shoulders 
• Construct a paved median with a concrete barrier
• Push out frontage roads on either side of the freeway to create wider ditches. This improves the quality of storm water runoff from the freeway and provides a buffer between freeway and frontage-road traffic.

Modernization with capacity expansion (eight lanes)

• Construct four lanes northbound and four lanes southbound.
• Provide consistent inside and outside shoulders.
• Construct a paved median with a concrete barrier.
• Push out frontage roads on either side of the freeway. The frontage roads would be relocated to the same position as the six-lane option; the difference is that the slopes between the freeway and frontage roads would be steeper or possibly require retaining walls.

Milwaukee County

Elm Road/ 27th Street

Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will reconstruct the existing interchange at 27th Street and I-94 from a half diamond interchange to full diamond interchange. This interchange will be moved further north to avoid impacts to the Root River environmental corridor and will improve spacing with Seven Mile Road. It will be built with a connection to 27th Street. The city of Oak Creek has decided that they may construct a future east connection to 13th Street via Elm Road.

Ryan Road, Rawson Avenue and College Avenue

Ryan Road, Rawson Avenue and College Avenue are proposed to be reconstructed to tight diamond interchanges. This means that ramp connections with the cross street will be brought closer to I-94. Doing this allows more space between the ramp and the adjacent cross streets – 13th Street and 20th Street, for better traffic operations. Each ramp intersection with the cross street will be signalized. At College Avenue, the existing park and ride lots will be reconstructed.

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Airport Spur

The Airport Spur interchange will be reconstructed in its existing configuration. The spur will be reconstructed to look like a parkway. Its new look will have a grassy median with a curb. The outside edges of the Spur will have a screening berm. The existing interchange with Howell Avenue will also be reconfigured as part of the project.

Edgerton, Grange and Ramsey Avenues

Each road will remain open to local traffic passing over or under the freeway.

Layton Avenue

The Layton Avenue interchange will be reconstructed into a tight diamond configuration. New traffic signals at the northbound and southbound ramp terminals will be installed on Layton Avenue. The tight diamond design will improve traffic operations on Layton Avenue between the northbound ramps and 13th Street. The existing southbound on-ramp intersection at 20th Street will be relocated to Layton Avenue.

Mitchell Interchange

Under the modernization (six lanes) option two freeway lanes are provided for all major movements in the interchange. With the modernization with capacity expansion (eight lanes) option, a third lane is added on I-94 (south of the Mitchell Interchange) to and from the I-894 bypass.

27th Street interchange

The 27th Street interchange will be reconstructed with U-Ramps. This configuration will significantly improve traffic flow through the interchange. All vehicles will enter the freeway via right-hand turns off of 27th Street. The only cross traffic with 27th Street will be vehicles turning left onto 27th Street after exiting the freeway. One of the more significant changes is eliminating the maneuver to and from 27th Street and I-94 south. This maneuver is accommodated by utilizing the Layton Avenue interchange to access 27th Street.

The 27th Street/Layton Avenue intersection

The 27th Street/Layton Avenue intersection will be improved by adding dual left-turn lanes on the eastbound and westbound approaches to the intersection. Some median openings will be closed or relocated to improve safety operations of the intersection.

Plainfield Curve near Howard Avenue

WisDOT proposes to realign the Plainfield Curve near Howard Avenue to a smoother single curve. This change will significantly improve the safety problem that exists today. The new curve will be designed to accommodate speeds up to 55 mph.

Recap of the Milwaukee County options

Safety, cost and reducing congestion are the main differences between these two options. Modernization improves safety, but does little to relieve congestion. Modernization with capacity expansion improves safety to a greater degree.

WisDOT’s preferred alternative

The study team looked at several options on how to best improve safety on this stretch of interstate and its interchanges. WisDOT’s preferred alternative is the modernization with capacity expansion from six to eight lanes. The modernization and expansion alternative offers many benefits:

• Moves ramp exits to the right side of the freeway.
• Minimizes current and future congestion, which results in fewer crashes, less waiting time and safer driving on the freeway.
• Replaces the deteriorating pavement and structures with new designs.
• Minimizes impacts to local residents and the environment.
• Provides aesthetic treatments for those who live adjacent to the freeway.
• Constructs an additional lane in each direction.

Preferred alternative conceptual plans

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Questions about the content of this page:
Emlynn Grisar, dotsefreeways94nsc@dot.state.wi.us
Last modified: December 8, 2008