The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has dropped four new conceptual designs for the I-43 and National Avenue interchange in Walker’s Point, and neighbors are about to get a close look. The agency will roll out the options at a public open house on Wednesday, June 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the MATC Walker’s Square Education Center. The proposals are aimed at cutting ramp-related crashes, calming cut-through traffic and stitching back together streets and sidewalks that the freeway currently slices apart.
What's on the table
The four concepts run the gamut from relatively low-key fixes to major reworking of ramp layouts, local street connections and bike and pedestrian routes. "The purpose of the project is to improve safety and operations and enhance community connectivity around I-43 at National Avenue," according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. At the open house, WisDOT says display boards, roll plots and staff will be ready to walk people through how the options differ and to gather feedback.
Why Walker’s Point is in the crosshairs
The National Avenue interchange already sprawls across a big chunk of Walker's Point and uses several ramps that pour traffic onto nearby residential streets, which neighbors and schools say raises safety and connectivity concerns. Local coverage and project documents have highlighted the interchange as a kind of concrete wall that could be redesigned to unlock new development sites and make it easier to walk and bike through the area. For more on how a rework could open up land for new uses, see reporting from BizTimes Milwaukee.
How to weigh in and next steps
WisDOT and local reporters are urging residents to show up on June 3 at MATC's Walker’s Square Education Center, 816 West National Avenue. Free parking will be available, and MCTS routes 18 and 20 stop nearby. Spanish-speaking staff will be on hand, and people can submit comments in person at the meeting or through WisDOT’s online form. The comment period runs through July 10, 2026.
For meeting logistics and contact information, see FOX6 News Milwaukee, and review the project page maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Funding and what comes next
The study received federal planning support through the Reconnecting Communities program, which supplied funding to explore ways to better tie Walker’s Point back together, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Project materials and local coverage indicate that WisDOT expects to share study results and recommendations later this year, while any final design and construction would still depend on future funding rounds and environmental review. Officials emphasize that the four concepts are starting points, and that the agency will refine the alternatives based on community feedback before putting forward any construction proposal.
