UPDATE at 5:00 p.m. CST on Aug. 5, 2024: All closures have been lifted, but it remains unclear what caused the widescale closure across the vital Milwaukee-area roadways.
620 WTMJ will provide the latest on-air and online when further information is released.
MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said an incident has forced the closure of all eastbound lanes on I-794 in the Marquette Interchange and all westbound lanes in the Lake Interchange at Lincoln Memorial Dr.
Both the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office are on the scene and have blocked off traffic at the offramp to I-94 southbound, diverting traffic onto that ramp.
In addition, Milwaukee Police have blocked off multiple streets and are redirecting traffic around the freeway and the Milwaukee Tool headquarters including Michigan St. and Clybourn. A Hazardous Devices Unit has been deployed along with the Milwaukee Fire Department.
DEVELOPING: In addition to the closures on I-794, multiple law enforcement agencies have blocked off streets near the highway. I’m at 5th and Michigan where @MilwaukeePolice has its Hazardous Devices Unit deployed. Stay tuned for more details on @620wtmj pic.twitter.com/VdvM0cv6t3
— Wyatt Barmore-Pooley (@wyattbpvoice) August 5, 2024
The ramps from I-43 northbound and I-43 southbound on to I-794 eastbound are also blocked due to the closure of the interchanges.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the closure is estimated to last at least two hours. No further details have been provided on the incident. WTMJ has reached out to the Sheriff’s Office for more information.
This is a developing story and will be updated with any new information.
