County Gets Federal Funding For Buses, Roads
$29 million to help county to improve road safety, replace 13 aging buses.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation recently announced $29 million in funding for Milwaukee County roads and buses.
The Milwaukee County Transit System is receiving $7.5 million to purchase new buses, which the county estimates will fund the replacement of 13 buses. The rest of the funding goes to the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to fund a variety of road projects on county trunk highways.
“Thank you to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for delivering this federal funding to our community,” County Executive David Crowley said in a statement Tuesday. “I am equally grateful for champions like Governor Tony Evers, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Representative Gwen Moore for continuing to advocate for Milwaukee County at the state and federal levels. Together, let’s continue working to create safer streets, grow our economy through expanding access to job opportunities, and make Milwaukee County a healthy, accessible place for all.”
The projects also present an opportunity to redesign the roadways so they are safer for drivers and pedestrians. Layton Avenue and 76th Street were both identified as “corridors of concern” for the number of traffic fatalities and injuries that occur along them. The county identified these corridors as part of a large planning effort, still underway, to design traffic safety interventions across the county.
The county plans to give special consideration to improving safety along these roads as it designs and reconstructs them with the federal funding.
“For Milwaukee County to have a modern and robust transportation network, we continually seek to provide infrastructure that also ensures the safety and well being of the traveling public,” said MCDOT Director Donna Brown-Martin.“Similarly, new buses for the MCTS fleet will support connectivity by moving more people timely and efficiently, while also reducing operational and maintenance costs through the replacement of vehicles past useful life standards.”
A bus typically reaches the end of its. useful life around 500,000 miles. Nearly one-third of the system’s fleet is ready to be replaced, as Urban Milwaukee previously reported. The transit system and county policymakers are trying to catch up on bus replacements, because the system is currently relying on the maintenance and repairs to keep buses running that would otherwise be retired.
Update: A previous version of this story said the construction along Silver Spring Road would be between N. 124th Street and W. Appleton Avenue. It will be between N. 124th St. and W. Oklahoma Avenue
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
Political Contributions Tracker
Displaying political contributions between people mentioned in this story. Learn more.
Transportation
-
County Holding Public Workshops For Traffic Safety Projects
Sep 11th, 2024 by Graham Kilmer -
Despite Low Offer, MCTS Loses Bid To Run Waukesha Bus System
Sep 6th, 2024 by Graham Kilmer -
New Program Will Fund Driver’s Ed For Low-Income Students
Sep 5th, 2024 by Jeramey Jannene