The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded the City of Madison $110 million for the East-West Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The funds come from the FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program.

The estimated $194.3 million project will include a 15-mile route with faster, more frequent, and more reliable service from the west side of Madison to the City of Sun Prairie, providing essential connections throughout Wisconsin’s capital city.

Sixty-foot zero-emission, battery-electric buses will run on 9.5 miles of dedicated lanes, receiving transit signal priority. Riders will also benefit from new level-boarding bus stations and shelters with real-time bus arrival information and security cameras.

The city is investing in BRT to alleviate congestion in an area of the state that continues to see significant population growth, with 115,000 new residents projected by 2040.

The route is expected to open in fall 2024.

Wisconsin recently received notification about the following federal discretionary grant awards:

• Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP): Milwaukee's Agricultural Maritime Export Facility was awarded $9.3 million for the second phase. The project includes the construction of two grain storage silos, electrical service upgrades, and the purchase of additional grain and cargo handling equipment, expanding the capacity of the port to handle the movement of grain commodities.
• Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program: The City of Elkhorn will receive $320,000 to design the Centralia Street reconstruction and bicycle lane addition. The RTA grant program supports early-stage development of transportation solutions in rural and Tribal communities with grants funding technical, legal, and financial assistance.

For a list of prior federal Wisconsin discretionary awards, visit the WisDOT Bipartisan Infrastructure Law webpage.

The latest stopgap continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on Nov. 16 averted a government shutdown. Still, how it gets Congress closer to resolving the fiscal year 2024 budget chasm is unclear.

The CR contains no cuts or new spending for Ukraine, Israel, or other items. Instead of a single new deadline, there are now two. The measure extends all programs funded by the Agriculture, Energy and Water Development, Military Construction/Veterans, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (HUD) bills through Jan. 19, 2024, and all programs funded by the other eight appropriations bills through Feb. 2, 2024.

The Senate passed its version of a Transportation-HUD appropriations bill in early November, while the House version was pulled from a vote twice in November, likely due to a lack of votes.

Jason Culotta was elected the Transportation Development Association’s 47th president at the TDA Annual Business Meeting earlier this month. He will serve a one-year term.

Jason is the president of the Midwest Food Products Association.

He is a longtime TDA board member, serving two stints representing different organizations.

Other members of the 2023-24 TDA Executive Committee include:

• 1st Vice President: Jerry Deschane, League of Wisconsin Municipalities
• 2nd Vice President: Robb Kahl, Construction Business Group
• Secretary: Ron Chamberlain, SEH
• Treasurer: Tim Peterson, James Peterson Sons, Inc.
• Past President: Tracy Johnson, Commercial Association of REALTORS Wisconsin

Thanks to all for their service.

Dan Fedderly Received TDA Award

Dan Fedderly, longtime Wisconsin County Highway Association (WCHA) executive director, received the Transportation Service Award (TSA) at this year's annual meeting. TDA presents the TSA to members or public officials who have significantly advanced the cause of a safe, modern, interconnected transportation system in Wisconsin.

Beyond his role with WCHA, Dan served as a Dunn County supervisor for eight years and the chair of the Town of Sherman for decades. He was also active in the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of County Engineers (NACE), serving on various committees and subcommittees.

For decades, Dan was involved in transportation at the town, county, state, and national levels and was always a strong supporter of TDA.

TDA Welcomes New Member

Prime Focus LLC specializes in freight transportation solutions, which include site selection, economic analysis, freight transportation planning, research, and consulting.

Visit www.primefocusllc.com.

Upcoming Transportation Reception at TRB, Sponsorship Opportunities

The 2024 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., is quickly approaching, and an exceptional event is again on tap. The Wisconsin Reception at TRB is a much-anticipated opportunity for Wisconsin transportation professionals to network during an informal reception.

Sunday, January 7, 2024

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Yard House

812 7th Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20001

Please consider sponsoring this event and help bring together our state's transportation professionals by providing a $1,000 contribution. If interested, please contact TDA's Debby Jackson for more information and to arrange sponsorship payment. Submit your company logo to Andi Bill at UW-Madison.

This event is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin.

If you would like TDA to consider including your organization's update or event in an upcoming newsletter, please forward information to Luke Pearson – luke.pearson@tdawisconsin.org.