Wisconsin DOT seeks public input on Highway 175 via an interactive website and public hearing
It hasn’t been officially decided yet if Highway 175 in Milwaukee will be converted to an at-grade boulevard, but the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is currently conducting a study with the goal of rethinking how the section of highway will look in a few years.
Part of the study requires the DOT to engage the public, and in doing so, it launched an interactive website that the public can comment on and engage in conversation. The department also will host a hearing later this week.
The DOT, Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee recently partnered to move the study forward on the stretch of Highway 175 from West Lisbon Avenue to West Wisconsin Avenue.
Last year, Mayor Cavalier Johnson publicly supported the idea of converting the highway, which runs north and south along American Family Field. Johnson even provided a name for the future stretch of roadway — Hank Aaron Boulevard.
At a Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee hearing in March, Ald. Michael Murphy, who represents part of the area, said he heard from constituents who both support and oppose the conversion. He added that it might be difficult to convince Republican legislators, since traffic seems to be working fine.
Proponents say a conversion would lead to development in the area, promote walking and biking, and reconnect neighborhoods that were cut off from each other when the freeway was built.
The DOT is using a website called Social Pinpoint to continue the public conversation as it relates to Highway 175. To access the site, visit Wisconsindot.gov/reimagine175.
Some on the site have advocated for more green