Michael Horne of Urban Milwaukee has the whole story…
Milwaukee’s ambitiously named “Milwaukee Intermodal Station” lands rail passengers inside a 1960′s shed that one would never confuse with the Gare du Nord.
The state is under federal orders to improve the station to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act provisions, and former Governor Jim Doyle got $20 million to do so. Some preliminary engineering work — like punching holes in the train shed — was undertaken.
But Gov. Scott Walker turned down the $20 million in federal funding (part of the $800+ million high speed rail grant) that was dedicated to meeting the federal requirements, and decided to go it his way, with a $15 million idea, and appealed to the feds to exempt the state from its provisions.
But the Walker administration never got around to doing any work on the station, missing a federal deadline in February 2012 that would have provided the state with a grandfather clause, allowing it to providing for improved access, but not at the level of later, stricter mandates.
As Horne noted in his article, train ridership in Milwaukee set a record for the ninth time in ten years, so clearly there’s plenty of demand for trains as a transportation option. Any vibrant, vital urban area needs a healthy mix of transportation options, and for Gov. Scott Walker to utterly dismiss trains as part of that mix is not just short-sighted; it’s short-changing Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin as a whole.
Keep the pressure on. We’ve got to get rid of this guy. I guarantee you he will continue to compromise Wisconsin government every day he’s in office.
Well batchit crazy bachmann is going bye bye. Lyin Ryan is on the next ballot, Along with walker. Things are looking up
Scott Walker has been a disaster for the WI economy, urban development and public transportation. From turning down $800 million for rail service to Madison, to trying to kill the Milwaukee Street Car, his policies have all been about destroying public infrastructure (and jobs) rather than figuring out how to build an economy for the future.