State to sell excess Marquette Interchange land

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is preparing a plan to sell an estimated 18 acres of surplus land used as staging areas for equipment and material during construction of the Marquette Interchange project.

The department also will lease an additional 10 or more acres under the network of bridges for parking lots. In the past, Milwaukee County leased several acres for parking lots for employees at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

There are five parcels in downtown Milwaukee that are expected to be identified as surplus land by DOT officials in December, according to a department spokeswomen. They are:

• A 1-acre parcel at North Fifth Street and West St. Paul Avenue;
• 4 acres at the northwest corner of North James Lovell Drive and West Clybourn Street;
• 11 acres at the intersection of West Vernon Avenue and North 12th Street;
• 1 acre at North 11th Street and West St. Paul Avenue;
• And 1 acre at North 10th Street and West McKinley Avenue near the Park East development corridor.

“Now that the interchange is completed, DOT is in the final planning stages of determining a price for leasing land under the freeway,” said Dennis Shook, a spokesman for the DOT’s Southeast Region office in Waukesha.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation secretary Frank Busalacchi and Gov. Jim Doyle officially opened the Marquette Interchange Aug. 19, declaring the $800 million project was completed $10 million under budget and three months ahead of schedule.

The Marquette Interchange construction project was started in April 2004. The renovated interchange eliminated all lefthand entrances and exits and has more distance between ramps to reduce traffic conflicts from lanes changes. The new design also allows for future expansion to an eight-lane expressway.

DOT officials are coordinating their plan to sell and lease the surplus land with Milwaukee Department of City Development and the Milwaukee County Department of Economic Development. Proceeds from the sale and lease of the land would be added to the state Highway Fund, according the DOT.

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