Extending I-794 Into Racine County Is Possible, Milwaukee Official Says

Extending I-794 into Caledonia is possible, according to Milwaukee County officials leading efforts to extend the so-called Lake Park Expressway. 

Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Patricia Jursik met withe village's I-794 Extension Committee on Monday to update members on the project, which could make it easier for people drive between Caledonia and Milwaukee. The parkway is now a four-lane highway that connects Bayview and other surrounding neighbors to the city over the Hoan Bridge. 

Plans right now call for I-794 to extend south along the Union Pacific railroad tracks to Ryan Road, about six miles south of where the parkway now meets South Pennsylvania Avenue, Jursik told the committee. But it's possible for the parkway to extend further south to the Racine County border or into Caledonia, she said. 

"It wouldn't take a lot to get the study committee to extend into Racine County," she said. 

The study committee is run through the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, which is responsible for highway planning in Milwaukee and Racine counties. SEWRPC officials are handling engineering work for the extension, said Jursik, who hopes to finish planning work on the extension by the end of the year.

She met with a committee, chaired by Village Board member Tom Weatherston, to review maps and answer questions. Racine officials, including City Administrator Tom Friedel, also attended Monday's meeting. 

While it seems like a difficult time to plan expensive road projects, Jursik said she's hopeful this is one area Gov. Scott Walker will be willing to spend money. 

"This happens to be a very good time to do this because you have an administration that is extremely friendly for roadbuilding," Jursik said. 

But long before construction begins, local officials would have to work through how the highway extends into Caledonia, including the route such a road would take. 

How the highway extends into Caledonia, including what route it takes, would be up to local officials, Jursik said. But to even have the discussion, village, and possibly Racine County, officials need to pass resolutions supporting the extension of I-794. 

Jursik, who started working on the I-794 extension as a way to save the Hoan Bridge, got several Milwaukee County communities, and the county itself, to pass ordinances supporting the project. She told the Caledonia committee she'd like to see Racine County officials support extending the parkway. 

"When we get around to building this, it would be very powerful if Milwaukee and Racine counties were working together," she said.  

A few more points from the meeting: 

• Jursik said she's constantly getting calls from people in Racine County asking for I-794 to be extended, even though she is elected to serve in Milwaukee County.
• One idea is to extend I-794 into Caledonia and connect it with Highway 31, which runs to the Illinois border.
• While the project is moving forward, Jursik said details need to be worked around General Mitchell International Airport, including how it would affect the 128th Air Refueling Wing. 
• While plans call for few stoplights along I-794, including the possibility of a new bypass at Oklahoma Avenue, a stoplight is necessary at College Avenue, Jursik said.
• Jursik criticized the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel for a story over the weekend suggesting parts of the Hoan Bridge could fall on Summerfest. The bridge spans the festival's grounds. "It was Tom Held looking for headlines," Jursik said about the story in Saturday's newspaper. "... There is nothing critical at this point. There is no concern for public safety." 
• Supporting an extension of I-794 does not mean opposing KRM commuter rail in southeastern Wisconsin, Jursik said. "I always thought it was a false dichotomy, roads vs. rail," she said. "I'm a fan of finishing KRM and this. Every corridor you can have helps communities."