I-43 runs north-south through here, I-94 goes south to west and I-794 heads eastward.
I have been awed by this interchange since I was a small child...
The Marquette Interchange in downtown Milwaukee, WI is one of the most amazing masses of ramps in the midwestern USA. It serves as the main entrance to the downtown area, as well as the central 'intersection' of the metro area. Nearly all of the ramps of this interchange (some of which are signed as slow as 50 km/h) are elevated over surface streets and parking lots in a truly impressive 5 level arrangement. The most interesting part of this agglomeration is how these ramps wrap over and around the 'Aldrich Chemical' company plant (it is the building shown under the SB I-43 to SB I-43/94 ramp). A multi-story portion of this building rises several floors above the highest ramp (NB to WB) and is surrounded by three other ramps (SB to SB, WB to SB and EB to EB). Any description cannot adequately relay an image of this.
Other points of interest:
*If you take I-43 northward through this interchange, you can get off
at EB Kilbourn Av and go through a 3 block long ramp tunnel. There is
an underground parking garage entrance that diverges leftward from
this ramp inside the tunnel. There is a similar setup for WB Kilbourn
Av to NB I-43. These 'Kilbourn Tunnel' ramps go under the Milwaukee
County Courthouse complex campus and on either side of this parking
garage. I have highlighted the course of these two ramp tunnels.
*NB I-43 passes under a Courthouse parking ramp between the 'Kilbourn Tunnel' ramps.
*I-794 is one of the longest I-routes in the USA that is elevated over its entire marked length (The Kurumi '3di' site says 6.01 km).
*Photos of this interchange can be seen on my Milwaukee website.
WisDOT is planning a *major* re-engineering of this interchange in connection with a planned total rebuild of the I-94 'East-West' freeway, tentatively scheduled for about 2010-2015. Much of this proposed work is to make the curves less sharp. It is unknown at this time whether or not Aldrich Chemical will survive this.
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This page © Michael G. Koerner |
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