Hawley Road closures begin, worrying business owners nearby

NOW: Hawley Road closures begin, worrying business owners nearby
NEXT:

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – The first day of closures on a stretch of Hawley Road began Monday, Jan. 5. Business owners and drivers in the area are now having to use alternative routes to get to work.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), this is another phase of their $1.7 billion I-94 East-West Project. The closure will impact north and southbound Hawley at I-94, which is Park Hill Avenue to Hawley Court.

Pramod Patel owns Hawley Food Mart, which is located near the construction area. He has owned the business for 13 years and said he is worried business won’t be the same during the construction.

CBS 58

"I’m worried about it. Very worried about it,” Patel said.

The I-94 East-West Project began in fall of 2025. WisDOT estimates the entire expansion will be completed around 2032.

WisDOT Construction Project Manager Eric Hanson says the Hawley Road construction will close the stretch of the road until 2028.

“This closure allows the crews to begin temporary bridge widening of the I-94 bridges over Hawley Road,” Hanson said.

For those that this closure impacts, you can access Bluemound Road or National Avenue from Highway 175. However, Patel is still worried about what this could mean long-term if his convenience store is no longer a convenient place to stop for customers.

“Let’s see in a couple months, after that I don’t know what will happen,” Patel said.

For updates on the project's progress and future potential closures, click here

Close