Highway-Happy Republicans Throw Away Another Federal Rail Grant In Transit-Poor Wisconsin

Republican legislators who oppose transit, taking their cues from anti-rail Gov. Scott Walker, having this year eliminated regional transit authorities and further study of a commuter rail line from Milwaukee to nearby lakefront stops in Racine and Kenosha, succeeded last week getting the Feds to transfer commuter rail funding to other states.

This comes less than ten months after Walker turned back $810 million in federal funding to build an Amtrak/Midwest High-Speed rail connection from Milwaukee to Madison and make other improvements to existing Amtrak service from Milwaukee to Chicago.

Walker and the legislature are proceeding with a fresh $1.7 billion reconstruction and widening to the so-called Zoo Interchange at the Milwaukee/Waukesha County line west of the City of Milwaukee, and are forging ahead with other major highway projects, including widening and expansion of I-94 from Milwaukee to the Illinois state line and preparing for a new, $1 billion lane addition ti I-39/90 from Rockford at the Illinois line north to Madison and perhaps all the way to the Wisconsin Dells.

Then there's the $23 million Interchange to Nowhere.

In an are not served by transit.

And toll roads are on the horizon. Anything and everything for motorists, zip for transit users.