Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022
Will Milwaukee’s Zoo Interchange cost $1 billion?
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's 2022 status report, the Zoo Interstate project has cost about $1.4 billion already, with a projected final cost of about $1.54 billion. The Zoo Interchange, the intersection of interstates I-94 and I-894 and U.S. Highway 45 in Milwaukee, is the state's oldest and busiest interchange.
Approved in 2012, the project has received backlash for its high price tag and multi-year delays. The project's goal is to address the freeway's deteriorated condition, its current and future capacity, and its high crash rate.
It entails reconstruction of nine miles of interstate highway including the Zoo Interchange, several arterial roads adjacent to the interchange and about two miles of auxiliary lanes leading up to it.
The Zoo Interchange project is a part of the state's Southeast Freeways Megaprojects.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation Major/Southeast Megaproject Status Report
- WIsconsin Department of Transportation Zoo Interchange | Record of Decision
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Scott Walker declares Zoo Interchange is done, even as years of work remain
- Politico Overpasses: A love story
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