The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded a 110.6 million USD construction grant to the city of Madison, Winsconsin.
The grant, which has been made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is intended to aid the city in the building of its new East-West Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, a 15-mile long route to provide services for the University of Wisconsin, the Madison Central Business District, and other key destinations in the capital city.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, said:USDOT is proud to help connect the people of Madison to some of the most important employers and services in the city—including the Capitol, downtown shopping, and UW-Madison—with this grant for new electric bus service.
The new East-West BRT is expected to alleviate traffic congestion within Madison, easing a population boom of an estimated 115,000 new residents anticipated to relocate to the downtown area by the end of 2040. New bus stations will be built to accommodate the service, with a fleet of 60-foot zero-emission, battery-electric vehicles set to run along 9.5 miles of dedicated lanes around the city.
FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, said:The East-West BRT will provide speedy service throughout Madison, while helping keep the air clean for generations of Badgers to come.
Bus Rapid Transit has been transforming communities across the country with fast, frequent service along key economic corridors, and Madison is just another community that will benefit from America’s largest ever investment in high-quality public transportation.
Federal support for the 194.3 million USD project comes from FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which aims to help communities carry out transit projects.
