The expansion plan for the Milwaukee Streetcar is stalled in the Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee.
It's been stuck there since late May and now there are concerns if it doesn't make it out of committee to a full council vote soon, expansion by the 2020 DNC may be impossible.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say construction time has become an issue. Absolutely construction time is an issue now," says Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
He says only engineers will be able to give a last possible date equipment can be ordered and construction started on the project.
Barrett says, "but every week that goes past it makes it harder."
The Mayor's $52 million plan allocates $33 million for the construction of tracks to Wisconsin Avenue just shy of the Fiserv Forum for the DNC, and it pays for the Vel R. Phillips Transit center on Wisconsin and 4th.
The rest of the money will go to preliminary engineering for expansion of the system north to the Bronzeville Neighborhood and south to Walker's Point.
It's the future expansion that has many alders asking questions and adding requests for funding for projects in their districts.
So, for now the legislation hasn't received a vote and it could be running out of time.
The council has one more zoning meeting, and one more common council meeting before August when the council takes a recess for a month.
