Milwaukee airport Amtrak project cost doubled since groundbreaking

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By QUINN CLARK

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Noel Cook, 66, of Milwaukee said the construction at the Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station has taken so long that it’s become a running joke between him and his wife. So, he asked Public Investigator: what’s going on over there?

The project to expand the Amtrak station near Mitchell International Airport was initially expected to be completed by June 2025. A year later, Public Investigator asked the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for an update.

What is the Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station project?

The Milwaukee Airport Railroad Station is a stop on Amtrak’s Hiawatha line, which runs seven round trips a day between Chicago’s Union Station and Milwaukee’s downtown Intermodal Station. It’s located at 5601 S. 6th St., on the west side of Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport.

It’s getting improvements, including a second platform on the west side of the tracks, a pedestrian overpass connecting both platforms, elevator towers and work to fix up just over half a mile of nearby track.

Construction started in June 2023, following design work that ran from late 2019 through the end of 2022.

What is the purpose behind the expansion project?

Right now, passengers can only board and exit trains on the east side of the tracks. That one-sided setup causes delays for both Amtrak passengers and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City freight trains that are sharing the tracks, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The department says the project is also meant to make the station safer and more accessible for people with disabilities.

When is the project expected to be complete?

The contractor is now estimating October 2026, the Department of Transportation said.

A “significant project milestone” was achieved this month after the completion of the pedestrian bridge, the department said.

Why is it taking so long?

The department said the delays are primarily related to getting the structural steel – the metal framework that holds the structure together – made and delivered on time, along with scheduling and delivery of other contract work.

How much does it cost?

The original 2017 estimate put the total cost at about $10.1 million. It’s now ballooned to $23.5 million, according to the department.

The department said inflation and design changes drove much of the increase.

Each of the two towers went from one elevator to two, and the size of each elevator was increased – changes the department says were needed to safely and efficiently move passengers.

The department said those changes, along with some other minor design adjustments, brought the combined size of both towers from about 2,400 square feet in the original design to just over 4,000 square feet.

How is the project funded?

The project is funded through the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant – a program that funds freight and passenger rail projects around the country – awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in 2017.

Although the federal funding freezes created uncertainty for infrastructure projects last year, the department said this project was not directly impacted.

The department applied for and received a grant extension through June 2027. That extra time after the October 2026 construction target is for wrapping up paperwork on the grant – things like final billing and project reports, the department said.