Construction is underway in Madison as the city works to become the second Wisconsin community to implement a revamped public transportation model known as bus rapid transit.

Bus rapid transit, or BRT, seeks to shorten commute times with more frequent stops at fewer, but more centrally-located stations.

Proponents say BRT harnesses some of the benefits of a light rail sytem, although bus rapid transit is much cheaper for local governments to implement. Rapid transit buses have dedicated lanes and are given priority at intersections. Riders can also pay fares ahead of time at BRT stations in an effort to cut down on delays during boarding.

Milwaukee County launched Wisconsin's first rapid transit line in June. Madison is working to follow suit, as work progresses on a BRT line that's set to come on line in late 2024. That east-west line known as Rapid Route A will run 15 miles from Madison's west side to Sun Prairie, the suburb northeast of Madison.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the transportation overhaul is needed to reduce congestion in Wisconsin's fastest growing city.

"It's also going to help us prepare for the influx of jobs coming to Dane County and, frankly, the influx of people," she said. "We know that our unique geography of being on an isthmus just simply can't support more folks driving alone in their cars, and it's critical that we make transit a viable opportunity for everyone in our community."

Madison officials expect to cover the project's estimated $194 million cost through a combination of federal grants and local funding. That includes a $110 million to help build the east-west line from a Federal Transit Authority grant.

Roadwork for the project began in 2022 and, as of this month, concrete work had been completed for about three quarters of the route's planned 31 bus stations, Madison Metro Transit General Manager Justin Stuehrenberg said.

Stuehrenberg said the first rapid transit buses will arrive in Madison next month, with the full fleet of 46 buses expected by next summer. Those 60-foot electric buses will have capacity for more riders compared to Madison's existing city buses.

"This is not your grandfather's bus," said Kelley Brookins, a regional administrator with the Federal Transit Authority. "BRT provides modern-looking vehicles that are faster and more efficient than the typical American bus."

Planning is underway to develop a second Madison-area BRT line, which could begin operations in 2027. Public input meetings for that north-south line began this month.

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MILWAUKEE — At the Milwaukee County Transits Headquarters, students from different high schools are learning about public transportation.

These teens are part of Milwaukee County Transit System's (MCTS) Teen Transit Advisory Board. For Tequon Green, it's his second year being a part of the program. He said he joined because he has a passion for public transportation.

"Being a part of the MCTS Teen Transit Advisory gives me the opportunity to connect with the community in ways that I wouldn't have initially done," said Green.

The teens will share about how transportation impacts them and learn about the inner workings of the transit system.

"We want to get them out to visit different stations like the KK station and Fond du Lac station and get to meet the mechanics, operators, and get really familiar with them," said Coordinator Biltu Hamda.

On Wednesday, the teens got to design their transportation route and bus systems, ideas that MCTS leaders say are important to listen to.

"It's important to uplift and highlight the voices of our young people," said Hamda.

"One thing I learned last year is, we might not think that we're so needed now, but in the future, we are needed because we are the future of MCTS," said Kydell Amos, a second-year member of the Teen Advisory Board.

"I think planners need to hear how young people experience the city, where they're going, how they're riding the bus, what they like, what they don't like," said Daniel Stein, a former MCTS Teen Transit Advisory Board Member.

Daniel Stein was part of the advisory board last year; he is now a student at UW Madison and said he will take what he has learned from the board into his future career.

"I'm really optimistic about where Milwaukee is headed, both with the bus system and really every other piece of how people get around the city," said Stein.

He hopes to one day work on policy changes for the City of Milwaukee.

"I think transportation is one of the real big issues for me. It defines how I think about the world, and I think it's going to be one where we're going to see a lot of changes in the next 10-20, 30 years," said Stein.

Developing leadership skills is another aspect of the Advisory Board with teens working together to create better transportation and a better future for the city.

"They bring such a unique perspective to different things in life. We really want to not only teach them about transit but also learn from them," said Hamda.

For the teens participating, they get a $25 monthly meeting stipend and receive a free MCTS WisGo bus card.

Full article here.

Wisconsin's largest city has seen recent debate over highway expansion plans amid environmental concerns, and a new study suggested for similar projects, some effects could be limited if narrower traffic lanes are prioritized.

The expansion plan in Milwaukee involves a stretch of Interstate 94. Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was more focused on urban roadways with speed limits of around 35 miles an hour.

Shima Hamidi, director of the Center for Climate-Smart Transportation and assistant professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University who helped lead the study, said switching from lane widths between 11 and 12 feet, long the norm, down to 9 feet helps reduce traffic collisions. She pointed out it also leaves more room for options not involving vehicles.

"It will help many people to switch from driving to other modes of transportation, such as biking and walking," Hamidi explained. "Which could result in greenhouse gas emission reductions from transportation."

The study contended with narrower lanes, people will not feel compelled to drive as fast and will be more alert. Hamidi acknowledged while the approach might slow traffic, past research shows minimal effects, which means the changes would not cancel out environmental benefits. Other studies have shown expanding the number of lanes, in general, does not reduce congestion.

Hamidi also noted transportation planners and engineers have expressed liability concerns, but she emphasized her team's study is one of the first to give cities and states firm data, on the traffic safety side, showing skinnier lanes are more effective.

"We are getting more and more interest from transportation planners, mostly at the local level," Hamidi observed. "Cities are eager and interested to really see how this could be implemented."

Hamidi added the next steps involve more research to quantify some of the other impacts, including air pollution. The study issued this month analyzed nearly 1,200 streets in seven cities around the
U.S. The findings come amid a gradual increase in pedestrian fatalities over the past decade.

Read the full article here.

President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes historic investments to support better, more reliable transit service

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced a $110.6 million construction grant award to Madison, Wisconsin, for the new East-West Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The grant, funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be used to build a 15-mile route that will provide fast, frequent, clean, and reliable service for the University of Wisconsin, the Madison Central Business District, and other important destinations in Wisconsin’s capital city.

"USDOT is proud to help connect the people of Madison to some of the most important employers and services in the city—including the Capitol, downtown shopping, and UW-Madison—with this grant for new electric bus service," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Madison's East-West BRT battery-electric buses will run 15 miles from the west side of Madison to the City of Sun Prairie in the northeast. Along the way, it will travel through the UW–Madison campus (home to 50,000 students and approximately 20,000 staff), downtown Madison – including the state Capitol – and the East Towne Mall area. At both ends of the line, riders will be able to access the transit system through park-and-ride facilities.

"The East-West BRT will provide speedy service throughout Madison, while helping keep the air clean for generations of Badgers to come," said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. "Bus Rapid Transit has been transforming communities across the country with fast, frequent service along key economic corridors, and Madison is just another community that will benefit from America’s largest ever investment in high-quality public transportation."

The East-West BRT will alleviate traffic congestion on roads throughout the corridor that are among the most crowded in the region. BRT provides a faster, more convenient travel option than conventional buses and is expected to appeal to the estimated 115,000 new residents anticipated to move in and around downtown Madison by 2040.

New bus stations will provide level boarding and shelters enhanced with real-time bus arrival information and security cameras. The 60-foot zero-emission, battery-electric vehicles will run on 9.5 miles of dedicated lanes and receive transit signal priority to speed travelers on their way.

The federal support for the estimated $194.3 million project comes from FTA's Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which helps communities carry out transformational transit projects.

Full article here.

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County announced Wednesday they have received $219,000 in new federal funding to improve street safety in the suburbs of Greendale, Shorewood, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and West Allis.

According to a statement from County Executive David Crowley's office, the money is part of the federal government's "Safe Streets and Roads for All" program. The money can be used in those five communities to "implement swift solutions to combat reckless driving, calm traffic, and create safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, and bus riders."

In total, Milwaukee County has been awarded about $2 million from the feds to improve safety, amid rising levels of reckless driving and general crime on the county's roadways. In July of 2023, the county was awarded $400,000 to fund a study about road safety on 35th Street between Vliet Street and National Avenue.

• Village of Greendale: The Village of Greendale will monitor traffic counts, collect new speed data, and install portable speed bumps and Speed Trailers in two different locations throughout the Village. These materials will then be used elsewhere throughout the Village to continue providing more traffic data and draw more attention to its busiest intersections and crossings.
• Village of Shorewood: The Village of Shorewood will install two temporary traffic circles, one set of curb extensions, and one speed table at previously identified high-speed intersections and streets, although the exact number will be confirmed based on actual costs.
• City of South Milwaukee: The City of South Milwaukee will temporarily narrow Chicago Avenue (Highway 32) at the intersection of Oak Street. The project team intends to use multiple pieces of quick-build materials to calm traffic and collect vehicle counts and speed data. Two Speed Trailers will be used at Chicago & Oak in various positions, and then the City of South Milwaukee will place them at other locations known for high speeds, high occurrences of crashes or other traffic safety issues. This funding will also allow the City of South Milwaukee to purchase enough traffic barrels, cones, and lighted signage to provide much higher visibility to this uncontrolled intersection and forewarn motorists about the presence of potential pedestrian crossings.
• City of Wauwatosa: The City of Wauwatosa is receiving funding for two projects: To purchase bollards, flexible rubber stops, planters, plants, soil, and signage, as well as fund the various types of labor needed to deploy temporary traffic circles at various neighborhood intersections throughout the municipality; and To purchase two new camera systems and the necessary equipment for power and connectivity. The funding will also pay for a consultant to analyze the traffic safety data from the camera systems and the City Engineering department personnel to work with the consultant’s findings and help deploy and relocate the systems as needed.
• City of West Allis: The City of West Allis will purchase four 10-foot portable speed humps to be placed at various locations throughout the municipality. The funding will also advance the purchase of necessary signage, evaluation of speed study data, City of West Allis Department of Public Works labor, and promotional letters to residents.

Read the full article here.

A year into bus rapid transit construction on the east-to-west line, the city is starting to plan for the second route from Madison’s north side, through the downtown area to the south-side neighborhoods and end in Fitchburg.

Some form of rapid transit within the city has been studied since 1992. The bus rapid transit system has been in the works for nearly a decade and is aimed at improving the city’s existing Metro Transit system to shorten travel times, reduce congestion and support economic development.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has made bus rapid transit a pillar of her platform during her tenure in office. The city broke ground last December on the east-to-west route, which will run along East Washington Avenue through the city’s center and the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus and end at West Towne Mall.

The north-to-south line will include 33 stations with raised platforms, shelters, seating and bus arrival information. Both lines will include larger electric buses that arrive every 15 minutes throughout the day.

BRT will use specialized lanes, dedicated boarding stations, off-board fare collection, and fast and frequent operations — but those modernizations require construction crews to update underground utilities and traffic signals, as well as remove the bump-outs at several intersections. On the east-west line, the main construction work is taking place on East Washington Avenue between Blair Street and Marquette Street, according to Mike Cechvala, Metro Transit's capital projects manager.

“It will be a similar process to planning for the east-west line, but things will move a little bit faster since we've already established things that we needed for the BRT network in general,” Cechvala said. “It’s essentially an expansion of the line being built now.”

Cechvala and others in Metro Transit plan to hold public information meetings to hear what Madisonians think of the route, where the stations should go and any other improvements that can be made along the line. Park Street will be the main area getting a major facelift.

“We'd like to hear about other needs along the corridor that we could maybe accommodate, such as bike lanes, pedestrian improvements, intersection improvements, those kinds of things,” Cechvala said. “We're just starting the process so it's a good time to get input.”

Metro would like to see “pretty significant improvements to Park Street” for the public, he said, and that will play a large role in the feedback process.

“Park Street is a street that's not very welcoming to people in terms of the infrastructure that's there,” Cechvala said. “It's difficult to cross, it's difficult to walk along, it's difficult to bike and that affects transit as well. We'd like to hear people's ideas and thoughts about how Park Street could serve people better.”

In-person informational meetings will take place on:

• Wednesday, Nov. 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: The Urban League of Greater Madison at 2222 S. Park St.
• Thursday, Nov. 2 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Warner Park Community Center at 1625 Northport Drive.
• Thursday, Nov. 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: MainStay Suites in Fitchburg at 5421 Caddis Bend.

A virtual meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Those looking to attend can register online at MadisonBRT.com.

The north-south line construction is set to begin in 2026 and continue into 2027 when the line will launch. It seems like a ways away, Cechvala said, but it's actually “a pretty aggressive timeline.” Cechvala attributed it to design work and downtown Madison construction completed for the east-west line, which speeds up progress for the north-south route.

As for the east-west line, it will include 44 new bus stations, which will be 60 feet long and 10 to 12 feet wide. Fourteen of those are on the west side of the city where most stations will be located in the middle of the road, with left turn lanes additionally serving as bus lanes.

Despite a small manufacturing delay waiting for steel parts to get galvanized, that line is set to launch next summer.

“We get a few people who are saying, ‘Why is it taking so long?’ and ‘Why isn’t this station done?’ The basic answer is that it's a lot of work along a long corridor,” Cechvala said. “It's quite varied work, and so it does take two years to build it all. They are working on multiple sites simultaneously, which gets the whole project done faster.”

“Things are getting done. They're basically on schedule,” he said.

Full article here!

UWL-hosted community collaboration to learn about policy becomes statewide model

How we get from point A to point B in our community — walking, biking, taking public transit or our car — is a major part of our quality of life.

Yet many of the decisions about transportation are technical or bureaucratic, involving concepts like "Euclidean zoning” and "Level of Service” that are difficult to understand and make it hard for the public to participate in the conversation, explains UWL History Professor James Longhurst.

“While you may never have heard of terms like Euclidean zoning and LOS, they determine the design of almost every city in America,” says Longhurst. “They shape property values, housing costs and availability, and freedom of movement for almost everyone.”

This need for transportation knowledge is why Longhurst joined a statewide organization in bringing an “academy” to La Crosse with the goal of teaching citizens to engage in policy issues that are important for health, safety and quality of life.

Now this academy model for public engagement in health and transportation policy has been adopted in two other Wisconsin communities, Stevens Point and Beloit, and is spreading to other parts of the state, supported by AARP Wisconsin and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin.

"Change happens locally with your councilperson,” said Sadie Kuhl, a member of the La Crosse community who joined the academy. “The class has given me the knowledge and a game plan to talk to my council members with actual solutions versus complaints.”

About the academy

La Crosse area citizens joined the Community Transportation Academy, a 10-week educational seminar, in spring 2023 with the goal of providing community members with skills and knowledge to advocate for safe and accessible transportation networks. Students learned about transportation plans and processes, engineering standards, interacted with local and national experts, took local tours and more.

“The weekly classes really opened my eyes to how local infrastructure can’t just be built in one day,” says Randi Serres Pueschner, a local small-business owner. “It takes immense consideration of all factors that affect community members. We as citizens can be advocates for the changes we need in our communities.”

Pueschner learned a lot about the decisions behind transportation design and the large amount of effort in every project. “This class has made me more compassionate to that fact and helped me prioritize learning more about my local community’s process,” says Pueschner.

Members of the public and UWL students were in the class side-by-side with local elected officials who wanted to understand the issue more, as well as staff members for local government.

“More and more communities in Wisconsin, in the U.S., and worldwide realize the importance of increasing safe and accessible alternate transportation options,” says Larry Sleznikow, a member of the La Crosse City Council who joined the academy. Sleznikow is also chair of the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Committee for Citizens with Disabilities.

The academy, facilitated by UWL Sustainability & Environmental Studies Program and UWL Graduate and Extended Learning, was led by 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, a statewide organization specializing in land use planning, transportation policy, and advocacy.

“We are delighted with the results from the La Crosse Academy and eager to take the CTA to other parts of the state,” says Deb Nemeth, executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. “We were especially happy with the UW-La Crosse partnership.”

1000 Friends is currently in a partnership UW-Stevens Point and, in the spring, will be in Beloit and later in Kenosha and Racine.

UWL connection

Longhurst, historian of urban and environmental policy, helped to bring the academy to La Crosse and worked to make it a credit-bearing class for UW La Crosse students.

UW-La Crosse Graduate & Extended Learning provided technical support for the online parts of the course, connected 1000 Friends to local speakers, field trips and more.

While programs like this exist in several other states, this was the first time such a class was offered to Wisconsin residents. The course helped bridge the gap between community advocates and transportation planning entities.

Definitions: Expand your transportation policy knowledge

“Euclidean zoning” is the practice of dividing cities into areas that restrict the use of property, named after the village of Euclid, Ohio. That practice was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1926.

“Level of Service” or LOS, is an engineering term that grades road intersections by how quickly motor vehicle traffic can move through them.

Find the full article here!

The Madison Poet Laureate invites you to celebrate the poets on November 9th at 6:30pm.

The City of Madison is excited to announce the selected poets for the 2023 Bus Lines poetry project. Poems by six poets were selected, including:

• “Land and People” by Rudy Bankston
• “To my children in our garden” by Daniela Chandler
• “Madison Metro” by Harmony, 3rd grader at Lincoln Elementary
• “Trees in the Wind” by Kael, 3rd grader at Lincoln Elementary
• “Remember” by Nola Pastor
• “Solid Gold” by Mary Louise Peters

The selected poems can be seen in the attached images or PDF. 61 poets applied, submitting 130 short poems that celebrated the environment, including composting, gardening, upcycling and recycling, the importance of mass transit, and more. Bus Lines is made possible by a partnership between the Madison Poet Laureate and Metro Transit, with support from the Madison Arts Commission.

Selected poems will be placed on Madison buses beginning in late November, and the poets will be honored at a celebratory reading of their work at Pinney Library, Thursday, November 9th at 6:30PM.

Madison Poet Laureate Angela Trudell Vasquez shared, “during my entire term as the Madison Poet Laureate, we were unable to put the poems on the buses during the pandemic. I am so happy that in my fourth and final year as poet laureate the poems are back on the buses. The entire city will now be able to see the rich creativity and spirit of their fellow Madisonians. Poetry brings us closer together, just like public transportation.”

About Poetry in Madison

The City of Madison Poet Laureate position was created in 1977 by then Mayor Paul Soglin. The Poet Laureate is honorary position that guides and nurtures the development of the poetry community in Madison thereby enriching our culture. The Poet Laureate leads the Poetry in Common Council series, the Bus Lines project, and mentors the City of Madison Youth Poet Laureate. The Bus Lines program was started in 2009 by then Poet Laureate Fabu. This program creates an opportunity for Madison residents to display their poems on Metro Transit buses and brings poetry before city residents in a creative way.

Contacts

Angela Trudell Vasquez, Madison Poet Laureate, poetlaureate@cityofmadison.com

Karin Wolf, Arts &Culture Administrator, madisonarts@cityofmadison.com

Read the full article here.

MADISON, Wis. -- The next part of Madison's Bus Rapid Transit project got underway Wednesday when city and Metro Transit officials held their first public planning meeting for the proposed north-south line.

The line would consist of 33 stations, which have raised platforms, shelters, seating and bus arrival information, and larger electric buses that would arrive every 15 minutes. It's expected in 2027.

Transportation officials laid out some proposed stops at the meeting Wednesday, at the Urban League building on the city's south side.

"I live way out on the edge of town, and so I have quite a walk to the closest bus stop," south side resident Kate Schulte said.

She wants to see a sop closer to Novation Parkway and Ski Lane, but also wanted to generally learn more about what the city has planned to bring to others living in her area.

"Some people are very car-dependent, but then there are a lot of people in a lot of apartments out there, [former] town of Madison, people like me out there," Schulte said.

Others at the meeting wanted know if the line would have access to the airport.

"I think is something that should be looked at, especially for people who would want to get across town and make that, you know, every major city you look at has that," Kirk Hoffman said. "And I think that that would really improve the areas in that sense."

According to Tom Lynch, Madison's Director of Transportation, the city is waiting on another grant application for the project.

"Of that, 80% was going to be federally funded and then 20% would be locally funded," Lynch said, "and so we're partnering with... the state of Wisconsin was going to invest (in) some on Park Street and then some other people who are able to contribute to get this all done."

According to Lynch, the city should know the status of that funding by March or April of next year.

The construction work underway right now is for the east-west line, which will run from Junction Road to East Towne through the downtown and campus area. Lynch said that should be done in the latter half of 2024.

The city is learning from that work on those east-west bus stops, which take longer to build.

"You know, they have new walls and the like, and so we want to carry the same branding, but we might modify them a little bit so that maybe they're a little easier to construct," he said.

It's hoped that the new BRT system will help the city of Madison meet its climate goals.

Residents on Wednesday said if that's the case, the city should do more for bikers when planning new lines.

"I think using like the University Avenue model of having bike lanes that go opposing traffic, that are protected bike lanes would really improve the ability for people to move around in different climate friendly transit options," Hoffman said.

There will be multiple opportunities for the public to share their thoughts on the plan, including a meeting at the Warner Park Community Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday and another at the Mainstay Suites in Fitchburg on Nov. 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A virtual meeting is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8. For more information, click or tap here.

Find the original article here.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced today that the final draft of Wisconsin Rail Plan 2050, which establishes a long-term vision for freight and passenger rail travel, is available for the last round of review and comment through June 10​, 2023. 

“Thank you to all who participated in the first round of public comment on the draft Wisconsin Rail Plan 2050. We invite the public to revisit our rail plans and participate in setting a course to help strengthen our economy and make our multimodal infrastructure more efficient and resilient,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “Rail moves about 32% of our freight in Wisconsin and demand for passenger service is growing. This is an exciting time to help plan the future of rail in Wisconsin.”

The draft Wisconsin Rail Plan 2050 is available to review online​.  Comments can be made through the online comment form.  A website with more information about this planning effort is also available. 

To request the plan in another form, please contact:​

WisDOT

Bureau of Planning and Economic Development

4822 Madison Yards Way

PO Box 7913

Madison, WI 53705

dotwirailplan2050@dot.wi.gov

608-266-3581

The draft Wisconsin Rail Plan 2050 is part of a comprehensive review of WisDOT’s federally required long-range plans. When published, it will replace Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030. The initial draft went before the public on January 27, 2023 for a 30-day comment period. The final plan is to be completed in 2023. 

The Wisconsin Rail Plan 2050 will include policies for railroad crossings, freight rail, Wisconsin’s state-owned rail system, long distance passenger rail, intercity rail, and commuter rail. The plan will specifically discuss rail data trends, existing and possible future service levels, rail system conditions, and commodity freight movements. 

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