Will Changing US 45 to I-41 Spur Economic Growth?

US 45 along the western suburbs of Milwaukee is already among the area’s busiest stretches of highway.

It could become even more so next year when it is poised to convert from US 45 to Interstate 41 in an effort to spur economic growth along the corridor from Chicago to Milwaukee to the Fox Valley.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, changing the road to an interstate will make it a “nationally recognized corridor,” as opposed to regional, and hence a better candidate for corporate expansion.

For those who know the area’s freeways by number, you will have to re-learn some things:

• US 45, north from the Zoo Interchange, will become I-41. When US 41 splits from US 45, the new road will follow the US 41 route.
• US 41, which goes north from the Miller Park area off I-94, will be renamed WIS 175.
• The US 41 route will be relocated to follow I-41 along I-894 and US 45

You can learn more at public hearings next month, including one at MATC’s Oak Creek campus, 6665 S. Howell Ave., on Sept. 12. The Business Journal of Milwaukee reports that a key to the plan is a piece of federal legislation awaiting a Senate vote.

Do you think the change be positive for businesses along the route? Or is it simply federal window dressing? Vote in our poll and discuss in the comments.