by jboullion | Dec 22, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in The Tomah Journal:
Let’s assume you live in Tomah and want to visit Atlanta. You either drive to the La Crosse airport, catch a flight to Minneapolis before taking another flight to Atlanta, or you can drive three hours to the Minneapolis airport and take the direct flight.
But there’s another possibility — replace the La Crosse-Minneapolis flight or long car trip with light rail from Tomah to Minneapolis.
Officials from the Twin Cities are touting light rail between Minneapolis and Chicago, and they have a powerful ally in President-elect Barack Obama, who appears ready to make high-speed rail part of his economic stimulus program. It’s an investment that’s long overdue, and it has potential to unsnarl an air passenger system that’s as reliable as electricity in Iraq. Air travelers are all too familiar with a web of connecting flights that often don’t run on time and leave passengers spending more time in airport lounges than moving through the air.
by jboullion | Dec 17, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story posted on WKBT-TV:
[The] Grand River Station in downtown La Crosse . . . which will be more than just a new place to catch the bus. “In addition to the transit center, there’s commercial space here as well as 87 residential apartments and condos; it’s a six-story building and it will bring a lot of people activity downtown La Crosse,” says La Crosse Transit Utility Manager Keith Carlson.
The $20 million construction project has been in the works for years, and will serve as the new hub for public transportation in La Crosse. The new station will serve more than just the River City, with routes going to other near-by areas. “I think that not only does this help within the city of La Crosse from a transportation standpoint, using mass transit, but I think it’s got an awful lot of potential of brining communities together,” says La Crosse Mayor Mark Johnsrud.
by jboullion | Dec 9, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article on Milwaukee Rising:
The capital cost of developing Milwaukee-Madison train service has soard 25% to 50% in just two years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The cost was estimated at $400 million when the 2007-09 budget was developed, according to the agency’s budget request.
“As with all other infrastructure projects, the estimated cost has increased significantly in the last two years due to high fuel and materials costs,” the department said. ”While the final cost will not be known until the final design and engineering are completed, the project cost is currently estimated at $500 – $600 million, including all design, engineering, capital infrastructure costs, and equipment costs.”
WisDOT is seeking $40 million in new bonding authority for the project, on top of the $82 million in authority it already has.
The good news, WisDOT said, is that there now is a federal funding program for intercity passenger rail service that could pay as much as 80% of project costs.
“Federal appropriation of funding and rule-making for the rail programs still need to occur,” the agency said in its 2009-11 budget request. ”The work done on the Madison – Milwaukee corridor so far and the bonding already authorized will place Wisconsin in a good position to receive a grant as soon as the process is established.”
There are good reasons to proceed with the project, WisDOT said.
by jboullion | Dec 8, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a fact sheet of the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership:
Transportation policy has a strong, positive relationship with job creation and access. The transportation system should support job creation and grant all people access to good jobs. Unlike past transportation decisions that have focused on short-term solutions and have ignored large sections of the population, modern transportation investments must expand opportunities and improve quality of life. . . .
In recent years, proponents of increased investment in new highway capacity have used job-creation as a rallying cry for their cause, saying that money spent on these new roads will lead to a surge in new jobs. While transportation investment should not be seen as primarily a jobs program, economic studies indicate that transit capital investments and operations funding are even better sources of long-term job creation.
According to a recent study by Cambridge Systematics, 314 jobs and a $30 million gain in sales for businesses are created for each $10 million invested in transit capital funding, and over 570 jobs are created for each $10 million in the short run. While new highway construction does lead to an increase in employment, these jobs are mostly for non-local workers: road engineers and other specialists who come in to an area for a specific job and then leave when it has been completed. On the other hand, transit investments create a wealth of employment opportunities in the short and the long run. Transit system construction leads to an impressive level of short-term job creation, and once the systems are finished, a long-term source of high-quality jobs. Of the 350,000 people directly employed by public transportation systems, more than 50 percent are operators or conductors. In addition, 10,000 to 20,000 professionals work under contract to public transportation systems or are employed by companies and government offices that support these systems. Thousands of others are employed in related services (i.e. engineering, manufacturing, construction, retail, etc.). . . .
by jboullion | Dec 1, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story Paul Snyder in The Daily Reporter:
The special legislative committee charged with creating a regional transit authority bill is dead.
State Rep. Alvin Ott, chairman of the Legislative Council Special Committee on Regional Transportation Authority, on Tuesday informed the Joint Legislative Council by letter that he would not convene any more committee meetings.
Citing changes in political leadership, economic conditions and the projected $5.4 billion state budget deficit, Ott said it would not be prudent to set up a new taxing authority until the economy improves.
But Len Brandrup, a committee member and director of Kenosha’s Transportation Department, said the state can’t afford to wait any longer for an RTA bill.
“We have no choice but to get a bill this session,” he said. “We can’t fail. If we’re to remain competitive in terms of attracting business and economic development, the state puts itself at a distinct disadvantage by not acting.”
Brandrup said his biggest concern is that the committee was terminated for partisan reasons, and Ott’s letter confirms the concern.
“With the pending change in party control of the Assembly, the Committee no longer has the ‘built-in’ balance that I feel is necessary to cultivate an appropriate compromise on the policy questions the committee has been charged with addressing,” according to the letter attributed to Ott.
Such comments echoed remarks made by state Rep. Robin Vos, the Racine Republican who last week said he doubts bipartisan discussions of RTAs could proceed with Democrats in control of the Legislature.
Neither Ott, Vos nor state Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greendale — the committee’s three GOP legislative members — was available for comment Wednesday.
“We need all sides at the table,” Brandrup said. “To make this a partisan issue is a shortsighted approach. It’s not a wedge issue.”
Despite the conflict, other committee members said the committee’s demise doesn’t mean the end of an RTA bill.
Read other stories on regional transit authorities.
