Wisconsin Governor Doyle Approves Green Bay Transit Projects for Federal Recovery and Reinvestment Funding

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April 22, 2009 -- GREEN BAY — Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced today that Green Bay would benefit from approved proposals for transit projects in 14 small urban areas and 32 non-urbanized areas around Wisconsin. Approval is a major step in securing the portion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding that has been appropriated for the state. The projects total nearly $34.5 million.

“Investments that make travel safer, easier and more affordable will not only improve our quality of life, they will help get our economy back on track,” Governor Doyle said. “Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we have the opportunity to make strategic improvements to our infrastructure that will help get people to work and will add lasting value to our economy.”

“I am working hard to bring our tax dollars back home to Wisconsin where they belong,” Congressman Steve Kagen said. “The Recovery Act is doing exactly what we intended it to do – investing in our communities now. What we need in Wisconsin are jobs, jobs and more jobs and these investments to Green Bay’s transit will help strengthen our local economy. I want to applaud Governor Doyle for approving these funds.”

The Green Bay projects, worth $2.9 million, include the following:
Four clean diesel buses ($1,440,000) that will operate more efficiently and reduce emissions.
A new smart-card system ($720,000), which will make bus fares easier and more convenient.
A security system ($500,000) that will put passenger safety first.
Improvements in maintenance, radio and support equipment ($240,000).

For the small urban transit systems – cities with populations between 50,000 and 200,000 – the next step is for each city to work with the Federal Transit Administration to submit its application and have its project certified by the U.S. DOT. Funding for these projects totals $23,154,677.

Projects for non-urbanized transit systems were approved by the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance yesterday. The next step is for the state Department of Transportation to submit funding applications on their behalf to the federal government. If fully funded, these projects will total $11,299,461.

The transit formula funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act must be used for capital projects, such as buses and bus facilities, preventive maintenance, security, para-transit services and other public transit projects that enhance economic development. Funds were allocated to states, and directly to large urban areas – including Milwaukee and Madison – based on existing FTA formulas.

To view the list of small urban projects, please visit: www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=16474.

To view the list of rural projects, please visit: www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=16475

Source: Wisconsin Governor