The route passes north of Menomonie and south of Eau Claire before turning southeast and heading toward Tomah where it joins I-90.

I-94 turns eastward toward Milwaukee at what is commonly known as the "Badger Interchange" where the three Interstates meet with State Trunk Highway 30 (WISS 30).

The highway remains a six-lane facility (with various auxiliary and collector–distributor lanes in Milwaukee at interchanges) east and south of this point, and through the area is officially designated the East–West Freeway, though very few organizations, including the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's traffic control center in the area actually use that name.

I-94 passes through Downtown Milwaukee, turning southbound and joining I-43 for six miles (9.7 km), into a road designated from Ozaukee County to the Illinois state line as the North–South Freeway.

These two Interstates run concurrently to the border, passing west of Racine and Kenosha on their way into Illinois toward Chicago.

Milwaukee continues to see millions of dollars in lost tax revenue as a result of the freeway routing through the heart of the city.