Marquette Interchange
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The Marquette Interchange is a major freeway interchange in downtown
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
, Wisconsin, located near
Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...
where Interstate 43 (I-43, North–South Freeway), I-94 (North–South Freeway and East–West Freeway), and
I-794 Interstate 794 (I-794; also known as East–West Freeway, Lake Parkway, and Lake Freeway) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in Milwaukee County in the US state of Wisconsin. It is one of two auxiliary Interstates in the Milwaukee metropoli ...
(Lake Freeway) meet. Originally built in the 1960s, the interchange underwent a total rebuild between 2004 and 2008, and was officially opened on August 19, 2008, after what was at the time the largest construction project in state history. During the early 2000s, U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) had followed I-94 through the interchange. This had changed when
I-41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropolitan Ch ...
was designated in the Milwaukee area. US 41 now follows I-41 through the
Zoo Interchange The Zoo Interchange is a freeway interchange on the west side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It forms the junction of Interstate 94 (I-94, East–West Freeway), I-894, I-41, US Highway 41 (US 41) and US 45 (Zoo Freeway). It is the ...
instead.


History

The history of the Marquette Interchange, originally called the Central Interchange, stretches back more than half a century. The idea of a north–south freeway with an interchange in downtown
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
was first proposed in 1952 for an area south and east of
Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...
. An artist's sketch in a local newspaper in December 1952 provided a first glimpse of the future. The following year, the Milwaukee County Expressway Commission was created by state law to plan, design, construct and maintain a freeway system in
Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...
. Land acquisition soon began. In 1955, the
Milwaukee County Board The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is the legislative branch of the government of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Supervisors are elected to the board in nonpartisan elections. There are 18 supervisors. The county board has sev ...
adopted ''A General Plan of Expressways for Milwaukee County'', which included a downtown interchange near the present location of the Marquette Interchange. All of this activity in Milwaukee was in no way unique. Many cities across the United States were drawing up plans for new
freeways A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
during the mid-1950s. Nationally, there were big plans, too. In 1956, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the United States' modern
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
. Preliminary design on the Marquette Interchange began in 1956, and final design began in 1960. In 1964, construction began, and so did a difficult balancing act. For the next years, traffic flow on city streets had to be maintained while new expressways and the new interchange were built in their midst.
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and temporary street connections were used extensively to route heavy volumes of traffic around construction areas. Between 1964 and 1968, 21 construction contracts totaling over $33 million were awarded. The Marquette Interchange was dedicated and opened to traffic on December 23, 1968. The interchange was, and still is in its rebuilt form, one of downtown Milwaukee's most prominent features. The Marquette Interchange has no affiliation with Marquette University, to which it is adjacent. Marquette University officials like to joke about how the university receives complaints from disgruntled motorists who erroneously believe the interchange is owned by the university. By the 2000s, the interchange was experiencing severe deterioration and traffic problems due to major design flaws, including poorly designed left exits and vehicles having to weave across travel lanes to reach exit ramps, causing accidents and bottlenecks.


The new interchange

The junction underwent a complete reconstruction dubbed the Marquette Interchange Project between 2004 and 2008, and was officially opened on August 19, 2008, several weeks ahead of schedule. The construction came in at $190 million below its $1 billion budget. The project involved 46 cranes and more than 4,000 workers in what was at the time the largest construction project in state history. The project rebuilt the
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
section of
I-794 Interstate 794 (I-794; also known as East–West Freeway, Lake Parkway, and Lake Freeway) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in Milwaukee County in the US state of Wisconsin. It is one of two auxiliary Interstates in the Milwaukee metropoli ...
between the interchange and the Milwaukee River,
I-43 Interstate 43 (I-43) is a Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Wisconsin, connecting I-39/ I-90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and I-41, U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and US 141 in Green Bay. State Trunk Highwa ...
from the interchange to North Avenue (including the bridges carrying city streets that spanned the freeway), the Hillside Interchange that connected I-43 to Highway 145, and I-94 from the interchange to 26th Street (including rebuilding the north end of the 16th Street Viaduct, officially known as the James E. Groppi Unity Bridge). The project also demolished the
Milwaukee County Courthouse Annex The Milwaukee County Courthouse is a high-rise municipal building located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Completed in 1931, it is the third county courthouse built in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The two ...
parking structure that stood over the northbound lanes of I-43 just north of the interchange. The interchange reconstruction also re-configured the stubbed
Park Freeway In Milwaukee, freeways were constructed in response to an 8.5% increase in population during the 1940s. Road plans were drawn up in the 1950s through the 1970s and several freeways were built. A lack of foresight resulted in several communities ...
to an arterial street design, with the freed up land eventually leading to the redevelopment of the Haymarket neighborhood, and the construction of the Fiserv Forum arena. The new Marquette Interchange occupies the same approximately 75 acres of downtown land as the old interchange system, with some adjustments. Design features include: * Two lane ramps in all directions * More gradual curves on ramps, with longer sight distances * More distance between ramps, to eliminate traffic conflicts from lane changes, which was accommodated by rebuilding the roads a half-mile from the interchange * Elimination of all left-hand entrances and exits * Design features allow for future expansion in all directions to eight lanes


See also

*
Eclipse Park Eclipse Park was the name of three successive baseball grounds in Louisville, Kentucky in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were the home of the Louisville baseball team first known as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisvill ...


References


External links

{{commons category
WisDOT M-Change
Avenues West, Milwaukee Freeways in the Milwaukee area Transportation in Milwaukee Interstate 94 Road interchanges in the United States U.S. Route 41