Interstate 894 is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in Milwaukee County in the US state of Wisconsin. The route serves as a bypass of downtown Milwaukee, connecting with I-94at the Zoo Interchange west of downtown and the Mitchell Interchange south of downtown. The route is concurrent with three other highways for its duration, following US Highway 45 from the Zoo Interchange to Hale Interchange as the Zoo Freeway, where it separates from US 45 to follow I-43 heading east to the Mitchell Interchange as the Airport Freeway. In local traffic reporting and casual conversation, it is known simply as "the bypass" or "894". I-894 is entirely concurrent with I-41, and the east–west portion is also concurrent with I-43. I-894 is part of what was proposed to be an extensive freeway network around the Milwaukee area. The Zoo Freeway portion was completed from Beloit Road northward in 1963, and the Airport Freeway and remaining segment of the Zoo Freeway were completed in 1966. I-43 was routed concurrently with I-894 in 1988.
Route description
I-894 begins at the Zoo Interchange in Milwaukee with I-41, I-94, US 41, and US 45. The highway heads south as part of the Zoo Freeway from this interchange concurrent with US 45. Traffic reports generally refer to this section either as 894 northbound or the northbound Bypass. North of the Zoo Interchange, US 45 continues separately as the north part of the Zoo Freeway. I-894 enters West Allis before its first exit after the interchange; this first exit is a junction with Wisconsin Highway 59, known locally as Greenfield Avenue. After the first three exits, I-894 enters Greenfield. Further south, I-894 has interchanges with National Avenue, Oklahoma Avenue and Beloit Road. This section of the bypass is usually congested during rush hour because of traffic on I-894 and merging traffic from the Rock Freeway. This 4 mile stretch usually has travel times between 10–15 minutes during the rush hour. The Interstate turns eastward at the Hale Interchange in Hales Corners. US 45 turns westbound at that point to follow I-43/Rock Freeway south, and I-43 north follows I-894 to the east. The highway becomes the Airport Freeway and reenters Greenfield after the Hale Interchange. Generally, this section is referred to as I-894 eastbound, as I-43 was not added until the late 1980s. Westbound I-894 exits to WIS 24 after the junction, though the eastbound highway only exits to a nearby local street. I-894 has two more exits after this and meets WIS 36 before reentering Milwaukee. It meets WIS 241 at exit 9 before terminating at the Mitchell Interchange with I-94, I-43 and US 41; I-43 continues northbound concurrent with I-94. I-894 passes generally through residential areas for its entire length with the exception of a few commercial districts right next to the freeway such as the Southridge Mall district, along with South 27th Street north to Oklahoma Avenue, which contains multiple car dealerships. The highway serves as a bypass of downtown Milwaukee. With the approximate distance traveled through downtown via I-94 at, I-894 provides a shorter distance for travelers heading to Chicago or the Mitchell International Airport. The Zoo Freeway portion as of 2007 carries at most 170,000 vehicles per day—with the highest values closer to the Zoo Interchange. The Airport Freeway carries up to 134,000 vehicles per day.
History
I-894 is only a part of an important history of the Milwaukee area's freeway system. The freeways that exist today are only a part of what the Milwaukee County Expressway Commission had hoped would be built by 1972. The Zoo Freeway between Beloit Road and North Avenue was completed in 1963. At that time, the portion between Beloit Road and the Zoo Interchange was signed as I-894. The remainder of the Zoo freeway to the Hale Interchange was completed in 1966 when the Airport Freeway was constructed. US 45 was rerouted to the freeway, as was WIS 15 south of National Avenue. The Airport Freeway was proposed to be routed to the also proposed Stadium Freeway South along Howard Avenue which is about north of the current alignment and named the Howard Avenue Expressway. The Airport Freeway construction was completed in 1966 to fully open I-894. Both freeways were slated to become part of the Interstate system in 1957, prior to their construction. I-43 was signed along the Airport Freeway concurrently with I-894 in 1988 after being officially designated in 1987. A remnant of the proposed Stadium Freeway remains connected to I-894 near WIS 36 as an unbuilt interchange. Its three completed ramps are closed to all traffic, and the ramps provide previously had allowed busses access to a park-and-ride The fourth ramp was demolished.
