Who wins from I-794 removal? Developers. Rest of us will be stuck in traffic. | Letters

The lobbying of Department of Transportation by a small group of architects and developers to remove, rather than repair, Interstate 794 is self-serving and narrow-focused (“Removing I-794 will enhance downtown safety, save city money,” Nov. 26).

What about the residents of Bay View and the southern suburbs? What about rapid access to the airport from the central city? What about Summerfest, the Art Museum, the Milwaukee Public Market and the million travelers coming to our lakefront? They won’t be coming on foot or bike.

That short spur connecting the Hoan Bridge and Third Ward to the Marquette interchange is an essential corridor. Surface streets cannot accommodate that traffic. Arguments that claim removing I-794 will improve quality of life in the Third Ward and reconnect it to downtown are spurious: There’s nothing dividing them now.

Not so fast: Removing I-794 would restore bridge to nowhere, hurt Bay View neighborhood

The areas under the freeway are rightly utilized for parking and can be further beautified. Some years ago, developers were calling for demolition of the Hoan itself with similar arguments. The Hoan and I-794 were rightly envisioned to provide an alternative route to the south from often congested Interstate 43.

While the south end of I-794 remains to be connected or extended, it provides essential regional connectivity and should remain a blueprint for the future of the metropolitan area. The desires of a group of developers should not take precedent.

Chad Czarkowski, Milwaukee

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Tear down the highway: 7 reasons why removing I-794 would be a boon for downtown Milwaukee

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