The House of Representatives added $3 billion for transit spending on its way to passing the stimulus bill yesterday. raising the total to $12 billion.
That’s good news. Still, highway building gets $30 billion and it will be pumped through the traditional formulas, which simply do not work very well.
Will the feds ease the onerous rules on capital transit funding to allow the money to get spent in a way that might actually stimulate?
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.
Ridership on the Hiawatha route between Milwaukee and Chicago has been growing at record rates as people confront high gasoline costs, environmental issues and bad airline service, WisDOT said.
“The next crucial link for re-establishing an effective and efficient intercity passenger rail system in the state is the Madison – Milwaukee route,” the agency said. ”Linking the state’s two largest cities by passenger rail will provide a needed alternative to many daily commuters and other travelers between these two cities, points along the way, and between Madison and Chicago. It will also provide a significant mobility option for those who are limited in their transportation options now.”
Good Jobs and Liveable Neighborhoods filed a civil rights complaint last week against SEWRPC related to the Pabst Farm Interchange proposal the Pewaukee-based agency was so eager to accept.
Jim Rowen has the details here.
Buses will run for a lot fewer hours next year, under the budget request for the Milwaukee County Transit System.
While it is true that the request does not include fare increases and does include an $11 million spending increase, it also includes a drop in property tax support and a cut number of hours buses are scheduled to be running.
Buses are proposed to be on the road for 1,322,692 hours in 2009, or or 1.3% fewer hours than are budgeted for this year. That may not sound like much, until you figure that 1.3% is the equivalent of 16,920 hours, which equates to 705 days, which equates to 1.9 years. The cuts being pondered are significant.
Property tax support would be $21.5 million, a decrease of $670,507, or 3%, under the budget request.
The County Board adopted a measure calling for a non-binding referendum on whether to establish a sales tax to support transit and parks. County Executive Scott Walker vetoed the resolution, and the Board has not yet held an override vote.
Here are the funding details for the transit request: The total transit and paratransit budget requested is $174.9 million, up $11.2 million, or 6.4%, from this year’s budget of $163.8 million. Requested transit operating expenses are up $7.5 million, or 5.6%, due to higher fuel prices. They are projected at $4 per gallon for 2009, while they were budgeted at $2.30 per gallon this year.
Despite the service cuts, bus ridership is projected to increase by 705,125 rides next year, up 1.7% from the number budgeted for this year. The cost per mile to operate buses is expected to rise from $7.51 to $7.98, a jump of 6.3%. Passenger revenue per mile, though, is projected to increase just a penny, from $1.04 to $1.05.
On the paratransit side, the number of trips taken is expected to increase to 1,158,820, up 82,079, or 7.6%, from this year. The cost per ride is expected to go up 51 cents a trip, or 2.37%.
Things are not looking up for transit riders in Milwaukee County.