Doyle adds Milwaukee-Madison rail to wish list

From a story by Mark Pitsch in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The start of a commuter rail line between Madison and Milwaukee, a new UW-Madison medical research tower and expansion of Interstate 94 are among the local projects Gov. Jim Doyle says could be started within months if federal lawmakers pass a massive economic stimulus bill for states.

Doyle met with members of President-elect Barack Obama's economic team and incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday and presented them a list of those and other projects he says the state has ready to go, his office said.

Over all, the state has nearly 1,800 projects worth $3.7 billion that could be ready to start within 120 days if it receives funding under the bill being worked on in Congress — though it's too early to say how much Wisconsin might get.

"These are things we could do immediately to have people work all across the state," Doyle said earlier this week in an interview.

Doyle's office has an additional $10 billion in longer-term projects cued up, including $519 million for the rail project, $300 million to replace UW-Madison's Charter Street plant and $50 million for a campus bioenergy research facility.

The office released the list of projects Wednesday. Doyle is slated to testify before the House Appropriations Committee today and he was scheduled to meet with its chairman, Rep. David Obey, D-Wausau, privately Wednesday.

Click here for the full wish list, including more items for Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.

Posted in: Rail