Milwaukee area freeways

[FightingIrish]

I attended the PIM on 7/31.

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/seregion/94stadiumint/docs/pim4fullcorridor.pdf

Pretty much boils down double decker vs not.

My comment card wanted the double decker! Rest of it looks sweet. Very happy how this is coming out.

They pretty much have to do the double decker past the cemetaries.

The alternate idea of narrowing the lanes and getting rid of the shoulder to add the fourth lane sounds pretty scary.

[triplemultiplex]

Haven't been thru the MKE in a while, but a nighttime drive a couple Fridays ago offered a glimpse of the Zoo Interchange project.  Guess I wasn't paying close attention to it online and didn't know they were replacing the Cleveland Avenue overpass until I drove under the newly completed one.  Seems wide enough for plenty of additional future lanes.

I only saw the south and west legs at that time.  I should get a better look at the whole project come Christmas time.

[JREwing78]

I attended the PIM on 7/31.

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/seregion/94stadiumint/docs/pim4fullcorridor.pdf

Pretty much boils down double decker vs not.

My comment card wanted the double decker! Rest of it looks sweet. Very happy how this is coming out.

They pretty much have to do the double decker past the cemetaries.

The alternate idea of narrowing the lanes and getting rid of the shoulder to add the fourth lane sounds pretty scary.

I'm curious what costs would be saved by keeping the double-decker option, but losing the Hawley Rd access. It's a pretty short-spaced interchange (~ 1/2 mile between the 68th/70th exit and US-41/Hwy 341 exit), not to mention being right up against the cemetery. O'Connor and Kearney can be extended down to Hawley, with a U-turn at 68th to allow exiting WBD I-94 traffic to reach Hawley Rd.

[Milwaukee, WY]

I attended the PIM on 7/31.

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/seregion/94stadiumint/docs/pim4fullcorridor.pdf

Pretty much boils down double decker vs not.

My comment card wanted the double decker! Rest of it looks sweet. Very happy how this is coming out.

They pretty much have to do the double decker past the cemetaries.

The alternate idea of narrowing the lanes and getting rid of the shoulder to add the fourth lane sounds pretty scary.

I'm curious what costs would be saved by keeping the double-decker option, but losing the Hawley Rd access. It's a pretty short-spaced interchange (~ 1/2 mile between the 68th/70th exit and US-41/Hwy 341 exit), not to mention being right up against the cemetery. O'Connor and Kearney can be extended down to Hawley, with a U-turn at 68th to allow exiting WBD I-94 traffic to reach Hawley Rd.

Locals would probably be very vocal against closing the Hawley access. Hawley is a major commuter route and a lack of direct access there would probably create a bunch of problems. I'm intrigued by the idea of extending the access roads and adding a Texas u-turn, but I'd like to see it modeled before I'd personally endorse it.

[colinstu]

Number of overhead signs (and their gantries) have been replaced on the freeway part of WI-145. Some (all?) parts of it that were closed for repaving are also back open.

This http://goo.gl/maps/DPxJ4 gantry and signs have also been replaced.

[tchafe1978]

Number of overhead signs (and their gantries) have been replaced on the freeway part of WI-145. Some (all?) parts of it that were closed for repaving are also back open.

This http://goo.gl/maps/DPxJ4 gantry and signs have also been replaced.

That's not WI 145, that's I-43. Did you link the wrong image?

[colinstu]

Number of overhead signs (and their gantries) have been replaced on the freeway part of WI-145. Some (all?) parts of it that were closed for repaving are also back open.

This http://goo.gl/maps/DPxJ4 gantry and signs have also been replaced.

That's not WI 145, that's I-43. Did you link the wrong image?

I know it's not. Hence the "also" in that sentence... meaning "in addition to" ... related in the sign changing part but not that it's the same road.

[tchafe1978]

Sorry, I misunderstood what you wrote.

[triplemultiplex]

Replacement of EB I-794 has begun.
Traffic is using the WB lanes while Hoan Bridge is redecked and the elevated bridges east of the Milwaukee River are replaced.


The temporary configuration includes a zipper lane over the Hoan Bridge that will give two lanes to the appropriate direction during morning and evening rush hours.
I believe this is the first use of such a mechanism in the state of Wisconsin.

All ramps are being replaced as-is in this rebuild; left hand ramps and all.  But I've grumbled about that already.

[colinstu]

I've driven through that area and want to get some footage. Very neat temp setup. They've created some new signs too, as well as modified some old ones (green out + demounting some shields/arrows/text).

[mgk920]

I just hope that WisDOT will be using "Lincoln Memorial Dr" instead of "Lakefront" on the BGSes for that interchange.



Mike

[DaBigE]

New renderings for the redesigned Lakefront Interchange: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2014/01/lakefront-gateway-redesign-draws.html
Work is supposed to begin after work on the Hoan is finished.

[colinstu]

thanks for sharing! The changes look great.

[mgk920]

I agree, very interesting.  Too bad they weren't able to broaden the EB to SB I-794 turn, though.

Mike

[colinstu]

Set of photos I took of some of the I-794 work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinstu/sets/72157641087518385/

Camera died halfway through was going to show the 794 West signs/situation too / lake interchange + some zoo-related pics but yeah... maybe another week.

[Jim920]

Nice pictures!  Has the speed limit on the Parkway been increased?  Last I knew it was 40 and has been since it opened, but I see 2 SL-50 signs in one of your pics. It's after the pictures the with "Oklahoma Ave. 3/4 mile" signs.

Set of photos I took of some of the I-794 work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinstu/sets/72157641087518385/

Camera died halfway through was going to show the 794 West signs/situation too / lake interchange + some zoo-related pics but yeah... maybe another week.

[colinstu]

I'm pretty sure it was 45 for awhile, and yes, ever since the intersection with Oklahoma has been reconfigured to be a seagull intersection (and some of the lanes/shoulders moved around) it's been 50. It's great! Used to be a terrible speed trap, much more manageable now. It's also been extended further south than it was years ago too. Some of the roads around the airport also have been updated around that same time.

[triplemultiplex]

Draft EIS is up for the I-43 rebuild and expansion from Silver Spring Drive to WI 60.

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/seregion/43/environ.htm

The good stuff is in appendix A: Maps of the preferred alternative, including some options for Brown Deer and County Line Roads they won't use.
ftp://ftp.dot.wi.gov/dtsd/projects/se/43/eisappendixa.pdf

Looks like the DDI won out at Brown Deer Rd. It'll be a race to see whether this one or a couple proposed in Madison come to fruition first.
County Line Road is going to become more of an interchange for Port Washington Road.

The most important element is the expansion to 6 lanes; something this freeway has needed for decades.

PIM's for the draft EIS will go down the last week of April.

[colinstu]

Looking great. Will be a blast to drive on this when it's complete! Hopefully they go with the DDI and not the diamond.

I wonder if and when they'll be looking at Silver Spring to North Ave.

[DaBigE]

Looks like the DDI won out at Brown Deer Rd. It'll be a race to see whether this one or a couple proposed in Madison come to fruition first.
County Line Road is going to become more of an interchange for Port Washington Road.

There's also at least one in the Appleton area in the works as well...as part of the 441 expansion.

[WarrenWallace]

Also with the I-39/90 at the WI 11 West (Avalon Road) interchange.

[SSOWorld]

Death Diamonds 

[mgk920]

Looks like the DDI won out at Brown Deer Rd. It'll be a race to see whether this one or a couple proposed in Madison come to fruition first.
County Line Road is going to become more of an interchange for Port Washington Road.

There's also at least one in the Appleton area in the works as well...as part of the 441 expansion.

The latest that I have heard is that it would be at US 10 east/Oneida St in Appleton (on the Calumet-Winnebago County line).  WisDOT is most seriously looking at roundabouts at two of the others (Racine St and WI 47) in Winnebago County.

Mike

[triplemultiplex]

Having seen enough big-ticket system interchange reconstructions in recent years, I find it interesting the similarities they share.  Especially the way they work their way into the core of the interchange from all directions.  You need the space to move traffic around the spots you need to work on, so that means tackling those nearby overpasses and service interchanges first.
I get a kick out of some of the temporary configurations that need to be utilized.  When I came through the Zoo Interchange last weekend, the NB->WB movement was shunted over into what had been the left shoulder of EB 94 so crews could work on the new railroad overpass.
Or the way the new Greenfield Ave overpass has its support columns in what was once the middle of the NB carriageway.
The Marquette rebuild had one ramp where a single tub girder and its requisite support columns sat alone like that for over a year.  It was necessary to put that one section in earlier than the rest of the ramp because later on, it would be too difficult to lift the girders into place.
It's also marvelous how little additional right-of-way has been needed for some of these projects.  Mostly, it seems to be an artifact of not wanting to put in expensive retaining walls for depressed and elevated segments, so they just snagged enough r/w to use earthen slopes.  But generations later, it's extremely useful in improving interchanges and expanding capacity.

[merrycilantro]

Call me late to breakfast, but have they decided yet on whether or not to double deck I-94?