Rail planning stalled at the station

View from around the state: Yes to toll lanes

Published: November 2, 2010
Tags: Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, toll roads

“What’s wrong with a premium charge for a premium ride?” That was the question Phil Evenson asked in 2008 as he was leaving his post as executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. And it is essentially the same question gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker asked when he proposed charging a fee to drive [...]

Lake Parkway expansion committee convenes

Published: August 26, 2010
Tags: Highway 100, Highway 794, Lake Parkway expansion, Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, SEWRPC, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

A study of the proposed Lake Parkway expansion in Milwaukee County should help regional officials start firming up details on the project this fall, the chairwoman of an advisory group said. Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, chairwoman of the Lake Parkway expansion advisory group, on Thursday assured group members financial support would be available for [...]

It’s Chicago versus Wisconsin: Rail projects vie for federal money

Published: August 3, 2010
Tags: Chicago, federal grant, Federal Transit Administration, Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line, KRM, Metra, New Starts, Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
Comments: 1

By Justin Kern Special to The Daily Reporter Two potential rail partners are competing for the same pool of federal money for projects in Wisconsin and Illinois. In Wisconsin, the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority expects to hear a response from the Federal Transit Administration by September or October on a grant request for the first [...]

Lawmakers oppose KRM commuter rail application

Two Wisconsin lawmakers are joining the fight to delay preliminary engineering work for the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project. State Reps. Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, and Robin Vos, R-Racine, sent a letter to the Federal Transit Administration asking that it deny the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority‘s application to begin preliminary engineering on the estimated $232.7 million rail [...]

Commuter rail dispute threatens project engineering

Published: June 17, 2010
Tags: Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail, KRM, Lee Holloway, Michael Mayo, Milwaukee County bus system, Milwaukee County Regional Transit Authority, Ostby, Southeast Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Yunker
Comments: 2

By Sean Ryan Local supporters of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project are divided as Milwaukee County officials try to delay project engineering. The Southeast Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority within a week will apply for federal approval to begin engineering the estimated $232.7 million rail project. But Milwaukee County RTA representatives are asking federal officials to [...]

KRM rolls closer to construction money

Published: June 4, 2010
Tags: Americans for Prosperity, Federal Transit Administration, grant, Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail, Kerry Thomas, KRM, Linda Valentine, Mantes, Mark Block, Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Transit Now, Yunker
Comments: 1

By Sean Ryan Proposed changes to the judging of construction grant applications would give commuter rail in southeastern Wisconsin a less obstructed path to federal money. But rail opponents argue projects such as the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter line are not worth the money, regardless of how the Federal Transit Administration ranks grant applications. “I think that [...]

Transit authority rolls on commuter rail planning (UPDATE)

Published: May 17, 2010
Tags: Antaramian, Barca, buses, FTA, Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail, KRM, Lee Holloway, Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, Ostby, Rail, regional transit, RTA, Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Yunker

By Sean Ryan Planners of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail Monday gave up on waiting for state approval for transit taxes and chose to apply for federal planning money. The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority will not get federal construction money for the estimated $232.7 million project without a state law letting local governments raise taxes to [...]

I-794 extension surprises southern neighbors

Published: February 5, 2010
Tags: Cudahy, extension, Interstate 794, Jursik, Lebak, McReynolds, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Oak Creek, Racine County, South Milwaukee, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, St. Francis, Zepecki
Comments: 6

By Sean Ryan The gung-ho support in Milwaukee County for extending Interstate 794 south could dead-end at the border with Racine County. Racine County does not have the rights of way or planning in place for the highway. “No one’s really approached us about it, unless I’m missing something,” said Thomas Lebak, village administrator for [...]

Money divides transportation supporters (VIDEO)

Published: February 4, 2010
Tags: Devine, highway, Peterson, Rail, Sales Automations Support Inc., sales tax, Schuldt, southeast Wisconsin, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, thompson, toll, transit, Transportation, Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin, Yunker

By Sean Ryan A roomful of people who spoke in harmony about the need for more transportation money broke into discord while sharing ideas about how to get it. Southeast Wisconsin business owners, transportation planners, elected officials and citizen activists gathered Thursday to discuss how the region can rise to the multibillion-dollar challenge of rebuilding [...]