Commission approves study for Interstate 94 in Waukesha County

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A study to possibly expand Interstate 94 in Waukesha County from the Zoo Interchange west through Oconomowoc is moving forward.

The 15-member Transportation Projects Commission this week unanimously approved a study to look at safety and operational improvements along a roughly 27-mile stretch of the Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Highway in Waukesha County. The vote tees up the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to look at expanding I-94 from the Zoo Interchange to Willow Glen Road in Oconomowoc.

WisDOT officials said the study is slated to begin sometime next year and could be completed as early as 2030.

The news comes after Gov. Tony Evers earlier this year vetoed a provision in the state budget that would have helped fund a study to improve the freeway. Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow expressed his disappointment with the governor’s veto and raised concerns over safety in the corridor.

“Since 2019, 8 people have lost their lives on this 12.5-mile stretch of interstate, including a first responder in 2024. This veto has just made Waukesha County less safe,” Farrow said in a social media post in July. “The numbers don’t lie on the crash data and sadly, until improvements are made, fatalities will continue.”

Evers didn’t address the TPC’s vote on I-94 but expressed his confidence in the commission and added that he brought back the commission in 2019 after a hiatus to “ensure a bipartisan, data-driven approach to selecting meaningful projects that maximize resources and make the most impact to Wisconsinites.”

“This sort of collaboration can help us improve safety, lower commute times and reduce crashes along these busy corridors – and most importantly – improve the quality of life for the tens of thousands of people who travel these routes,” Evers said in a news release.

WisDOT officials noted the stretch of I-94 in Waukesha County, which is just west of the recently-started expansion project between the Marquette Interchange and the Zoo Interchange, has safety and traffic concerns already due to heavy traffic and limited capacity.

There are also issues with crash hotspots and aging infrastructure along the Waukesha County stretch, officials added, including 32 of the 52 bridges along the corridor that are over 60-years-old and nearing the end of their lives. Some of the pavement even dates back to the 1950s.

The study will consider the project’s potential to enhance economic development, congestion relief, safety improvements and community objectives while minimizing environmental impacts. An environmental study is also required before any construction begins.

The TPC also approved a study for U.S. Highway 53 in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties to address safety and operational needs as traffic outgrew the original freeway design, officials said. The vote was a step in determining whether the two projects will move forward as major highway projects.

The TPC is chaired by the governor and includes the transportation secretary as a non-voting member, five state senators, five assembly representatives and three citizen members who review, approve and make recommendations for major highway projects in Wisconsin, WisDOT officials said. The committee went dormant in 2014, but Evers revived it five years later.