Bay Freeway

The Bay Freeway was the name of separate freeways proposed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Seattle, Washington, United States. No portion of the freeway was constructed in Milwaukee, however the interchange for the freeway in Seattle with I-5 was.

Milwaukee

It was intended to be an east-west freeway running on the north side of the city. It was to begin at I-43 in Glendale, near Hampton Avenue. From there it would run westerly to the proposed interchange with the Stadium Freeway and the Fond du Lac Freeway. The Bay Freeway would overlap the Fond du Lac Freeway for approximately 2 miles (3.2 km), before splitting off and continuing westward, interchanging with the Zoo Freeway and continuing through Menomonee Falls and Pewaukee and joining Wisconsin Highway 16.^[1]

Seattle

The Bay Freeway was originally intended to run along the south shore of Lake Union, linking SR-520, I-5, and SR-99. It, along with the R. H. Thomson Expressway, was eventually aborted after voters endorsed their cancellation in a special election on February 8, 1972, as part of the growing anti-highway movement.^[2] Part of the freeway was built, specifically the interchange with I-5, but was re-purposed as the interchange with Mercer Street once the full freeway was cancelled.^[3]

References

1. Christopher J. Bessert. "Milwaukee Freeways: Bay Freeway". Wisconsin Highways. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
2. Walt Crowley (March 19, 2001). "Seattle voters scrap proposed Bay Freeway and R. H. Thomson Expressway on February 8, 1972.". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
3. Seattle Municipal Archives (April 8, 1970). "Bay Freeway questions and answers, 1970". Retrieved 3 June 2013.