Milwaukee County next month will roll out detailed plans for its Milwaukee-Wauwatosa rapid transit line, and will recommend dedicated lanes for the buses along the entire 9-mile route, TODAY'S TMJ4 partner, the Milwaukee Business Journal is reporting.
The estimated $45 million project would create a new commuter line between the downtown Milwaukee lakefront and Swan Boulevard in Wauwatosa. The line would have more frequent and faster service than existing bus routes, with stops at job-heavy areas including the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.
Milwaukee County confirmed the general route last year. Since January, more detailed engineering work determined the design and locations of stations and dedicated bus lanes on city streets, said Brendan Conway, spokesman for the Milwaukee County Transit System. The county will collect public comments on those recommendations during public hearings on June 7 and 8.
Planners had considered whether the buses would share traffic with cars along the route, or would have their own lanes. The dedicated lanes are a key component to making the BRT line competitive with cars for commute times. But they would take driving lanes away from cars in the center of streets or parking spots along the curb line, depending on the location.
“The recommended alignment is dedicated lanes through the whole thing, with some rare minor exceptions,” Conway said.
Most of the impacts would be on Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee and Blue Mound Road in Wauwatosa, where the buses would run for most of the route.
The idea of dedicated lanes generated the most discussion on West Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, where there is a narrow stretch between the Milwaukee River and North Eighth Street. The street has two driving and two parking lanes in that area.
“That’s one of the areas where they are looking at the best way to do it from an engineering perspective and for the businesses,” Conway said.
Milwaukee County will need approvals from city officials in Wauwatosa and Milwaukee for the dedicated lanes.
The bus station designs also will be on display during the June open houses. The stations will have different sizes and designs, depending on the surrounding neighborhoods and expected level of passenger traffic.
“We want people to tell us what they prefer,” Conway said.
Milwaukee County plans to lock in the BRT route alignment and station planning later this year or in early 2018, Conway said. Construction could start in 2019, and service would begin in early 2020, he said.
That timeline is contingent upon the county receiving federal grants to pay for the construction work and buses. The county earlier this month was notified that its 2016 application for a federal grant was unsuccessful, Conway said. That federal grant would cover 80 percent of the project budget.
Milwaukee County will re-apply this year, in the hope of securing grant money in 2018, Conway said.
For more local business news, visit the Milwaukee Business Journal's website.
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