MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s two largest cities are getting a boost to their transportation budgets thanks to a newly announced investment from the governor’s office.
Gov. Tony Evers on Monday announced a combined $25 million investment in transportation for the city of Madison and Milwaukee County. Madison will receive more than $5.2 million, and Milwaukee County will get more than $19.7 million.
“I often talk about connecting the dots, and that’s what our vital transit systems do across our state, helping workers, families, and students get from point A to point B safely,” Evers said. “For our most urban centers to be targeted by Republican cuts during the last budget was a slap in the face to the disproportionate number of Wisconsinites in those communities who depend on public transit to get to school, work, doctor’s appointments—you name it.”
The funding comes months after Evers signed a GOP-written budget that cut state funding for transit programs in half in Milwaukee and Madison. Republicans said at the time they cut funding because of federal coronavirus relief money the cities are getting.
“Restoring some of Madison’s transit aid, which was unfairly cut by the legislature, will directly benefit our economy by getting people to work, shopping, school and more,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said. “It will also allow us to continue our partnerships with surrounding communities, which bring better transportation options to our region.”
Funding for the grants comes from money the state got through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
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