Major Ramp Changes & Years-Long Local Closure Ahead on I-94 Near American Family Field
Drivers who use I-94 around General Mitchell Blvd. and the VA campus will see significant changes in the coming days and years, as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation rolls out a series of ramp and local road closures tied to the ongoing freeway reconstruction.
Starting Monday night, December 15, WisDOT will close two key ramps long term:
- The General Mitchell Blvd. entrance ramp to I-94 westbound
- The I-94 eastbound exit ramp to General Mitchell Blvd.
“These ramps will close long term,” says WisDOT’s Eric Hanson. “They’re scheduled to remain closed through March 2026.”
Hanson says the closures are designed to give crews safe access to the median to do critical underground work through the winter.
“This is going to provide crews a work zone in the 94 median… removing that existing median barrier wall, removing the shoulder pavement, and then we’re going to actually be placing the primary permanent storm sewer in that section,” Hanson explains.
Despite the changes, I-94 itself will remain open with two lanes in each direction, but traffic will be shifted to the newly widened outside shoulders. Drivers should be prepared for a different configuration and pay close attention to signage.
Hawley Road: Three-Year Closure Starting in January
A longer-term change is also coming just off the freeway: Hawley Road will be fully closed on both sides of I-94 starting the week of January 5. The closure will run from Park Hill Avenue on the north to South Hawley Court on the south.
“Hawley is scheduled to close the week of January 5, and that will remain closed for three years, opening back up in the fall of 2028,” Hanson says.
So far, he says drivers have handled detours well, but the combination of the Hawley Road shutdown and the Mitchell ramps closing will require more adjustment.
“Alternate routes have been working well,” Hanson says. “But with the General Mitchell Blvd. ramps closing, there will be a learning curve.”
WisDOT is urging drivers to plan extra time, watch for message boards and detour signs, and consider alternate routes as these long-term changes take effect.
For more information about the whole project, you can visit https://www.94eastwest.wisconsindot.gov/.
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