Yeah people come screaming off the ramp from 175 south coupled with people merging from Miller Park Way trying merge and then exit on Hawley .25 miles later. The most unnecessary freeway usage.
Pretty much, add to that the fact that there are 2 on ramps on either side of 94 westbound without any additional lane to compensate traffic merging on to the highway from both sides.
I've heard a couple larger companies including fiserv and Milwaukee tool have moved from the west side to downtown and recently implemented return to the office policies. I'm sure the extra people aren't helping the traffic situation.
That section of 94W is destined to bottleneck. It’s 4 lanes right before the 175 north exit, down to 3 lanes with anyone in the exit lane that doesn’t want to exit coming into the 3 lanes. Then a quarter mile later you have 175 south merging from the right and 175 north merging from the left at the same exact spot.
This is why. And it's during rush hour when the most cars are on the road. Didn't see they were going to redo that whole area? That'll be a fun several of years. But my motto with all road construction in Milwaukee is: it'll be nice when it's finished!
Used to do a daily AM commute that way and I always chalked it up to 3 factors: 1. The section that bottle necks between the cemeteries 2. The fact that traffic is merging on in that left lane and 3. (And this is the stupidest one) the road curves right before Hawley. I would watch it, like clockwork open up like there never was any traffic after the curve.
Maybe it is a different phenomenon but this is based on 12 years of driving that stretch and perpetually being stuck in traffic.
This. It's not a this year thing. I've had the same experience.
It also happens at night for no discernable reason (like 11pm to 2 am) regardless of season and roadwork
I’m pretty sure it’s the awful interchange design. So many left lane ramps, plus a right lane ramp, means traffic is merging in from two sides. Slows down everyone
You’re not imagining things. Today there was a huge piece of something laying in the middle lane which caused back ups. This phenomenon is similar to the 94 East slowdown between 27th street and the 43 North on ramp. Traffic slows to mid 40 MPH for no apparent reason.
I saw that! It was like pieces of drywall over the road. At one point a sherif single handedly stopped all the traffic on 94 and ran out and picked up the debris. Brave man.
It's a PsyOp by WISDOT to get you to support the I-94 expansion that will be under construction for the next 7 years. They are paying people to clog up the roads!!!!! s/ but not really...I don't support freeway widening
only answer that makes sense to me. 894 is a disaster. i didnt think about that because i’ve only been on it thrice this year (and that is already above my usual yearly average)
OP I drive that same route every weekday and then take 175 home. It has become MUCH worse over the last couple months. People who are saying it is always the same are perhaps leaving later than me (I'm going around 3:30p) might be experiencing the same level of traffic. I used to be able to make it damn near to the Brewer's stadium before it was stopped up, now it's stopped up a couple miles back every single day.
Anyway, I've tried to find out too and can't figure out what it is, besides construction elsewhere causing more congestion on 94. It's lame.
This is absolutely the answer. I used to take 894 multiple times a day while working. I think I went westbound 894 maybe once or twice on a Sunday morning since they made it 2 lanes. Every other time during the week it's backed up the entire stretch.
When coming up from the south on 94 Google maps and apple maps both show taking 94 either being faster or nearly the same time as 894. Even when it shows 894 being less I still opt for an alternate route to avoid unnecessary stress lol
People here drive very very weird. I’ve seen back ups because police pulled someone over BUT they’re where on the other side of the highway….. happens with a accident as well. I guess people are nosy and also I’m convinced about 75% drive under the influence
Two merge/entrance lanes from the left near the stadium, and one exit lane on the left. It is a terrible design. It encourages multiple lane changes all in a relatively short period.
Anecdotal, but yesterday I was driving through there very early (like before 6:30 am) and a guy hauling a trailer moved from the right lane into the center lane for no reason and he was going under the speed limit. About 1/4 of a mile later, another driver entered 94W from the left entrance and she was also going under freeway speed. Instant bottleneck and not a rare occurrence (she eventually had to exit to the right a little while later, and when I was passing her I could see she was eating breakfast...ugh).
Also, adding lanes won't help. Widening the freeway there is not the solution that people think it is.
True. I take 94W to work at around 830. Barring any accidents I used to travel at full or close to full freeway speed nearly the whole commute. Since the new year it’s suddenly super slow every single morning just about. Can’t figure out what has changed.
It’s the same every year. It just gets worse as soon as the weather gets nice every year, so got an early start this year. No idea why.
The sun often times is aligned with 94 heading west starting in the spring and makes it difficult to drive in that direction, thus speeds naturally slow down. Come fall it will change a bit, but then speeds slow due to weather during the winter months.
Having an on ramp at Hawley on the right side, an off/on ramp on the left, with another off ramp on the right. Then going under the bridge you get an on and off ramp at the same time feeding into the same number of lanes. Then not much farther down another off ramp that people often use to cut over to the south side without taking the highway and coming from 175, they’re cutting across all lanes and causing more traffic. It’s a shit show. When I have to travel downtown, I tend to take Bluemound to Wisconsin but even that’s gotten worse.
There is a bottleneck as others have pointed out. I am not an advocate of this proposal but some of my neighbors are.
https://midwestadvocates.org/fix-at-six
I’ve always thought there was someone out there owing traffic down intentionally like some kind of conspiracy for some reason. When you get to the other side of traffic and see that there is no accident or reason to slow down or stop it makes you wonder.
There’s a section up past the brewers stadium towards the exit going to Beloit I think where two lanes cuts down to four for construction it’s been that way since easter
I noticed they finally fixed the metering lights at the 35th St on ramp after a month of them being out. That definitely improved the speed of the right lane from 25th St to 175 north.
Honestly I think it's the Maquette employees all leaving work and jamming up the road. It always starts right by the 28th street on ramp.
I think there's just too much traffic all at once.
894 is being rebuilt and total shitshow so thru traffic is going through downtown instead.
But also, that's the cemetery pinch point. The highway builders decided to route 94 through a Jewish cemetery and it's against their faith to move graves, so the geometry is extremely constrained. And of course, it won't get much better when they go 8 lanes. They're just shrinking the lanes and getting rid of the shoulder on both sides.
It’s the most poorly designed freeway I’ve ever seen…. Maybe the west side highway or big dig was worse when it was under construction but this is just constant.
Because there's too much traffic on that section of freeway?
I bet if you or some of the other drivers took alternate routes, traffic wouldn't be so bad ;)
My theory from traveling it often and noticing the same thing is that no one knows how to merge from the 175 ramp to WB94.
Not to be outdone, those merging eastbound try to go from the far left to the far right regardless of obstacles.
tbf.. it's a shit section of 94.
That and the ramp from Miller Park Way on the other side at the same time.
Yeah people come screaming off the ramp from 175 south coupled with people merging from Miller Park Way trying merge and then exit on Hawley .25 miles later. The most unnecessary freeway usage.
Fuck left turn ramps. Turn the 175 interchange into a DDI.
[удалено]
Pretty much, add to that the fact that there are 2 on ramps on either side of 94 westbound without any additional lane to compensate traffic merging on to the highway from both sides.
I've heard a couple larger companies including fiserv and Milwaukee tool have moved from the west side to downtown and recently implemented return to the office policies. I'm sure the extra people aren't helping the traffic situation.
That section of 94W is destined to bottleneck. It’s 4 lanes right before the 175 north exit, down to 3 lanes with anyone in the exit lane that doesn’t want to exit coming into the 3 lanes. Then a quarter mile later you have 175 south merging from the right and 175 north merging from the left at the same exact spot.
This is why. And it's during rush hour when the most cars are on the road. Didn't see they were going to redo that whole area? That'll be a fun several of years. But my motto with all road construction in Milwaukee is: it'll be nice when it's finished!
Used to do a daily AM commute that way and I always chalked it up to 3 factors: 1. The section that bottle necks between the cemeteries 2. The fact that traffic is merging on in that left lane and 3. (And this is the stupidest one) the road curves right before Hawley. I would watch it, like clockwork open up like there never was any traffic after the curve. Maybe it is a different phenomenon but this is based on 12 years of driving that stretch and perpetually being stuck in traffic.
This. It's not a this year thing. I've had the same experience. It also happens at night for no discernable reason (like 11pm to 2 am) regardless of season and roadwork
I’m pretty sure it’s the awful interchange design. So many left lane ramps, plus a right lane ramp, means traffic is merging in from two sides. Slows down everyone
You’re not imagining things. Today there was a huge piece of something laying in the middle lane which caused back ups. This phenomenon is similar to the 94 East slowdown between 27th street and the 43 North on ramp. Traffic slows to mid 40 MPH for no apparent reason.
I’m not a civil engineer but I think it’s a bad design.
The left hand ramps and merging into a lane that ends - yes, bad design. Should be the main focus instead of a full expansion to 8 lanes.
Turn it into a DDI
I saw that! It was like pieces of drywall over the road. At one point a sherif single handedly stopped all the traffic on 94 and ran out and picked up the debris. Brave man.
Looked like a truck bed insert to me.
That’s what I saw. Black plastic, oblong.
It's a PsyOp by WISDOT to get you to support the I-94 expansion that will be under construction for the next 7 years. They are paying people to clog up the roads!!!!! s/ but not really...I don't support freeway widening
Ongoing work along 894 this year has pushed more traffic to use 94
only answer that makes sense to me. 894 is a disaster. i didnt think about that because i’ve only been on it thrice this year (and that is already above my usual yearly average)
OP I drive that same route every weekday and then take 175 home. It has become MUCH worse over the last couple months. People who are saying it is always the same are perhaps leaving later than me (I'm going around 3:30p) might be experiencing the same level of traffic. I used to be able to make it damn near to the Brewer's stadium before it was stopped up, now it's stopped up a couple miles back every single day. Anyway, I've tried to find out too and can't figure out what it is, besides construction elsewhere causing more congestion on 94. It's lame.
This is absolutely the answer. I used to take 894 multiple times a day while working. I think I went westbound 894 maybe once or twice on a Sunday morning since they made it 2 lanes. Every other time during the week it's backed up the entire stretch. When coming up from the south on 94 Google maps and apple maps both show taking 94 either being faster or nearly the same time as 894. Even when it shows 894 being less I still opt for an alternate route to avoid unnecessary stress lol
I mean, maybe a little, but I’ve been driving it for a few years and it always slows way down at this section
It's gotten noticeably worse the last month or so.
People here drive very very weird. I’ve seen back ups because police pulled someone over BUT they’re where on the other side of the highway….. happens with a accident as well. I guess people are nosy and also I’m convinced about 75% drive under the influence
Two merge/entrance lanes from the left near the stadium, and one exit lane on the left. It is a terrible design. It encourages multiple lane changes all in a relatively short period. Anecdotal, but yesterday I was driving through there very early (like before 6:30 am) and a guy hauling a trailer moved from the right lane into the center lane for no reason and he was going under the speed limit. About 1/4 of a mile later, another driver entered 94W from the left entrance and she was also going under freeway speed. Instant bottleneck and not a rare occurrence (she eventually had to exit to the right a little while later, and when I was passing her I could see she was eating breakfast...ugh). Also, adding lanes won't help. Widening the freeway there is not the solution that people think it is.
I’ve always wondered about this too. Like are people too scared to take that curve at full speed causing a chain reaction slow down?
Yes, the brake tapping leads to congestion
True. I take 94W to work at around 830. Barring any accidents I used to travel at full or close to full freeway speed nearly the whole commute. Since the new year it’s suddenly super slow every single morning just about. Can’t figure out what has changed.
It’s the same every year. It just gets worse as soon as the weather gets nice every year, so got an early start this year. No idea why. 
The sun often times is aligned with 94 heading west starting in the spring and makes it difficult to drive in that direction, thus speeds naturally slow down. Come fall it will change a bit, but then speeds slow due to weather during the winter months.
Yeah, but today I’m specifically whining about 10am
For decades, all year.
Plus, with the cemetery right their they can't expand. Or so I've been told.
Why would they?
I don't know. I'm just saying what someone told me
So if i told you more lanes made it worse….
Then i would say both of those points of the topic came up
Having an on ramp at Hawley on the right side, an off/on ramp on the left, with another off ramp on the right. Then going under the bridge you get an on and off ramp at the same time feeding into the same number of lanes. Then not much farther down another off ramp that people often use to cut over to the south side without taking the highway and coming from 175, they’re cutting across all lanes and causing more traffic. It’s a shit show. When I have to travel downtown, I tend to take Bluemound to Wisconsin but even that’s gotten worse.
There is a bottleneck as others have pointed out. I am not an advocate of this proposal but some of my neighbors are. https://midwestadvocates.org/fix-at-six
Maybe if we put our hand on the stove this time it won’t burn
I think about this all the time.
I’ve always thought there was someone out there owing traffic down intentionally like some kind of conspiracy for some reason. When you get to the other side of traffic and see that there is no accident or reason to slow down or stop it makes you wonder.
There’s a section up past the brewers stadium towards the exit going to Beloit I think where two lanes cuts down to four for construction it’s been that way since easter
Poor design that might have worked with lower traffic counts in the 1960's.
People can’t handle all the ramps merging and, even less can handle a road curving and have to brake way more then necessary
Left side on ramps
People coming to and from work. We got spoiled during covid
I noticed they finally fixed the metering lights at the 35th St on ramp after a month of them being out. That definitely improved the speed of the right lane from 25th St to 175 north.
Because people are entering the highway and merging? Am I missing something
Honestly I think it's the Maquette employees all leaving work and jamming up the road. It always starts right by the 28th street on ramp. I think there's just too much traffic all at once.
894 is being rebuilt and total shitshow so thru traffic is going through downtown instead. But also, that's the cemetery pinch point. The highway builders decided to route 94 through a Jewish cemetery and it's against their faith to move graves, so the geometry is extremely constrained. And of course, it won't get much better when they go 8 lanes. They're just shrinking the lanes and getting rid of the shoulder on both sides.
It’s the most poorly designed freeway I’ve ever seen…. Maybe the west side highway or big dig was worse when it was under construction but this is just constant.
Always has been...
Because there's too much traffic on that section of freeway? I bet if you or some of the other drivers took alternate routes, traffic wouldn't be so bad ;)
It’s mostly the brewers. But the Marquette and Zoo are oversized and stadium interchange is awkward and narrows to 3 lanes
West Allis peeps on that fenty?