Projects must, in some way, improve air quality and reduce congestion in areas that do not meet primary federal air quality standards. One is a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant (CMAQ), and the other is a Surface Transportation Program block grant (STP).ĬMAQ are allocated to the Federal Highway Administration, but are administered in Wisconsin by the state Department of Transportation. MCDOT is planning to apply for two federal grants. Given the transit cuts in the budget, more of the stimulus funding will have to cover operating costs, affecting plans to make capital investments like bus purchases. In June, Joe Lamers, director of the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, told the county board that the transit system was planning to use some of the stimulus funds to cover capital expenses and maintain existing service levels. The state doesn’t provide capital funding to transit, so these cuts were directly to MCTS service. In the latest biennial budget, the Republican-controlled state Legislature cut transit funding to Milwaukee County citing the COVID-19 pandemic stimulus funds it received. The transit system has operated on tight budgets, with unsustainable state funding for years. This was a factor cited by the transit agency when it announced it wouldn’t provide service to park and rides for Summerfest this fall.

Due to budget cuts, the MCTS fleet is already smaller than it was just two years ago. It’s critical, she said, that the system stays on schedule for bus replacements. “Our system puts a lot of miles, a lot of wear and tear on our buses.” The useful life of a bus is typically 15 years, Brown-Martin said. “Now we’re at a point where we need to replace those buses.” “At that time we replaced almost our entire fleet,” said Donna Brown-Martin, director of MCDOT. Under the legislation, MCTS received funds that it used to purchase 90 buses. The grants would require local funding matches from the county that add up to $7.2 million.Ī significant chunk of the buses that will need replacing came to Milwaukee approximately 10 years ago thanks to the 2009 American Relief and Recovery Act, a federal stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama. The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) plans to pursue $28 million in federal grants to purchase 64 new buses.

Mcts bus