Construction on the Marquette Interchange officially began Tuesday morning, when Gov. Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett kicked off the project outside O'Hara Hall.

"Over the next few years we here at Marquette are really going to experience rebuilding the interchange in a truly up close and personal way," said University President the Rev. Robert Wild. "When it is completed we will have right here at Marquette's front door a much improved interchange."

The $810 million project will last until 2008. Two lanes of traffic heading north and two lanes heading south will be open on the northbound side of Interstate 43 during construction because the southbound lanes will be closed for reconstruction, according to the project's Web site.

Entrance and exit ramps will be added this month between the core of the Interchange, where I-94, I-43 and I-794 converge, and North Avenue.

"What we are doing here today is important not only to Milwaukee but to the entire state of Wisconsin," Doyle said. "It's a big project, but by working together we will be back here four years from now to celebrate the completion."

Barrett said the city will be affected by the construction work.

"I think all of us recognize that there's going to be disruption on the streets of Milwaukee," Barrett said. "It's important to us to have a good flow of traffic throughout the city."

Beth Nicols, executive director of Milwaukee Downtown, an organization for business development in the downtown area, said the interchange work will not affect Milwaukee businesses.

"It's going to be easy to get downtown," Nicols said. "Downtown Milwaukee during the Marquette Interchange work will be open for business."

Art Scheuber, vice president of Marquette's Office of Administration, said the interchange work will benefit Marquette in several ways.

"There's going to be easier access to the university when this is done," he said. "It is going to be much safer and easier to navigate. It's going to look better, and it's going to be quieter."

Marquette has a close partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, said Brigid O'Brien, director of university communication. They want to "make sure everyone has the information they need and everything runs as smoothly as possible."

Brian Manthey, communications director officer for the Marquette Interchange Team, also said they have been working closely with Marquette.

"Obviously, it's going to be right next door to (Marquette), so there's going to be an impact," Manthey said.

So far the construction has not had much of an effect on some students.

"I haven't really noticed anything," said Jamie Vrba, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences.

"It's not noisy, I can't even hear it," said Jim Conway, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences and a Straz Tower resident.

Construction and traffic information can be found at www.mchange.org.