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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > March 7, 2007
Barrett's streetcar proposal goes forward
Published March 7, 2007 - BizTimes Daily
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's proposal to develop a downtown streetcar system will go forward to the next phase with a professional study and analysis of the project.
The Connector Study Committee, a group of officials from the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, the Wisconsin Center District and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) voted this morning to send Barrett's Comprehensive Transit Study into the analysis phase.
Barrett's proposal calls for the construction of a three-mile downtown street car loop, which would run along Fourth Street, Juneau and St. Paul avenues and Jackson or Van Buren streets.
Barrett's plan also calls for at least two new high-speed bus routes, which he calls the County of Milwaukee Express Transit (COMET). One route would connect the Midtown Center on Milwaukee's northwest side with General Mitchell International Airport. The second would connect the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with the Milwaukee County Research Park in Wauwatosa. The two COMET lines would intersect downtown, where riders could transfer.
The new public transportation amenities would be paid for with the remaining $91.5 million in federal transportation funds that is allocated for Milwaukee. The projects would need $16.5 million in matching local funds, said Jeff Polenske, Milwaukee's city engineer.
The committee's three-to-one vote today does not necessarily mean the project will be built – it only allows for more in-depth analysis.
The committee has four voting members. Voting to approve the analysis of the plan were: Jeff Mantes, City of Milwaukee commissioner of public works; Peter Beitzel, MMAC vice president of business development; and Dick Geyer, Wisconsin Center District president and chief executive.
George Torres, Milwaukee County director of transportation and public works, voted against the proposal.
The vote could be predictive of the political battle the proposal will face down the road. To be ultimately approved by the federal government, Barrett, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle each would need to unanimously agree on how the federal dollars would be spent.
Walker previously said he opposes rail downtown, and Torres' comments today echoed those sentiments.
"I think of a portion of this plan we will support – the rapid transit portion," Torres said. "The county has no interest in running fixed rail in the city. It's counter-productive to what we're trying to do now.”
Torres asked his fellow committee members to split the two portions of the plan. The motion died due to a lack of a second.
Thus, Walker's opposition ultimately will stop the streetcar plan, unless he does not win or does not run for re-election in April 2008.
At this stage, the project seems like it could dovetail nicely with the proposed KRM commuter rail service between Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, Mantes said.
"I think we should study the whole thing," he said.
The committee will next meet when the consultants have studied the proposal.
Barrett unveiled his call for Milwaukee to develop a comprehensive transit strategy in a recent Milwaukee Biz Blog.
Ron San Felippo, president of the Historic Third Ward Association and chairman of the Third Ward's Business Improvement District (BID), told SBT he supports Barrett's streetcar project.
"I think it would be a win for everybody. A win for the Third Ward, a win for the entire downtown, it would be a tourist attraction, it would help people in parking their cars and being able to hop on the streetcars. I think it is a great idea. Our board concurs, and we think the mayor's transportation initiative was very well thought out and hopefully will come into being."
