A four-line commuter rail system and street running rail could be in Madison’s future if recommendations made at Wednesday’s Madison Technical Advisory Committee meeting are followed.
The committee met to discuss and design Transport 2020, a transportation alternative for the Dane County and greater Madison metropolitan area.
The committee is analyzing five alternatives, including an expanded regional bus system, a commuter rail core system, a commuter rail four-line system, a street running rail and a bus transitway. Committee member Rob Kennedy explained that the resulting system is likely to be a hybrid of a few of these alternatives.
“We must move from comparing ideal commuter rail and streetcar scenarios to a genuine combination of a better bus system and rail transit system,” Kennedy said. “We need to hammer out a Locally Preferred Alternative.”
David Trowbridge, the project administrator, discussed the committee’s direction toward an LPA.
“We need to pare back the alternatives we have, because the cost is too high right now,” Trowbridge said. “We also need to provide efficient service to earn good ridership numbers.”
Lightrail costs per car are roughly estimated at $2.5 to $3 million each, and streetcar estimates are at $2 million each. However, operating costs are the major expenditure, which include worker salaries and car wear and tear.
Trowbidge said he predicts LPA funding will come from a combination of federal, state and local sources.
The objectives of Transport 2020 are to promote efficient land use and development patterns in Madison and Dane County, improve mobility for people and goods and provide and enhance transportation choices.
The committee is also working to improve and enhance economic development and employment opportunities, enhance the natural and social environment and develop a cost-effective transportation system improvement strategy that maximizes community consensus and institutional support.
Trowbridge said traffic congestion has increased in downtown Madison, particularly in central areas including East Washington and University Avenue. City officials accept statistics that traffic on Madison’s isthmus will more than double by the year 2020.
He said Madison has no more road capacity, creating the need for alternative transportation.
“We want to keep downtown Madison healthy and growing, without the all the freeways that choke some cities,” Trowbridge said.
The next step in the LPA process involves preliminary engineering analysis. The committee will examine details concerning the effects on the environment and the neighborhood. The next Transport 2020 meeting is scheduled for Feb. 27.
Trowbridge expects the committee to have an LPA finalized by the summer. He also expects the LPA to hit the streets in five years.
