This was the status of the Milwaukee County $300 million Magic Bus earlier today.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A $300 million guided electric bus system won the Common Council's endorsement Tuesday, but the plan's future remains uncertain.
The council voted, 9-6, to support moving into preliminary engineering on the Milwaukee Connector system, which would link downtown to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Miller Park and the north side - and eventually could reach Mitchell International Airport - with rail-guided buses powered by overhead wires.
That action now heads to the desk of Mayor Tom Barrett, who has not said whether he will sign it. Barrett spokeswoman Eileen Force said after the vote that the mayor remains undecided, and his top priority is to ensure that the region doesn't lose the $91.5 million in federal money already reserved for the connector.
"He wants a first-rate transit system, but he just isn't sure this is it," Force said.
Barrett has previously said that he supports the connector concept, but that if it can't win enough support, the federal money might be used to extend the proposed Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line from downtown Milwaukee to Miller Park or State Fair Park. Leaders of both the commuter rail and connector studies have questioned that idea.
Read more about the $300 million Magic Bus here.
Late this afternoon, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett surfaced from his underground lair, or wherever he spends his time, to veto the measure.
Will the Common Council override it?
Will Barrett pretend that he's a leader and make the case that the Electric Bus is a colossal waste?
It's conceivable that Barrett will retreat to his undisclosed location and NOT be heard from again until the Memorial Day Parade.
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Apparently, Barrett listened to Scott Walker's concerns about the cost of the Magic Bus.
Funding for the project is currently not there.
Barrett also notes that the Connector project would inconvenience riders and tearing up the streets would harm businesses.
The plan is lame. Shockingly, Barrett understands that.
2 comments:
Despite leaving his "underground lair," I guess Barrett has finally started to use the "big boy voice" and curb spending when he could. Good to see.
;)
Yes, he's quite astute! :)
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