Milwaukee County Transit Planning
At the request of Milwaukee County, the Commission prepared a short-range transit development plan that recommends operating and capital improvements for the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) over the period 2011 to 2015. The plan was guided by an Advisory Committee of representatives from the County, local municipalities, and interested business groups and nonprofit organizations.
Transit Studies
In more recent years, Commission staff have provided extensive assistance to Milwaukee County and MCTS on detailed studies, including bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor studies.
In 2016, staff assisted the County in completing the East-West BRT Feasibility Study. Following this study, the County implemented the Region’s first BRT line (CONNECT 1) between downtown Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.
In 2022, staff assisted the County in completing the North-South Transit Enhancement Study. This study recommended BRT service along the 27th Street corridor.
Commission staff are currently working with County staff to quantify the current benefits of public transit, as a refinement of VISION 2050. For example, VISION 2050 indicates that public transit improves access to jobs, healthcare, education; providing employers with access to a larger labor workforce; saving household costs; decreasing demand for parking garages; and reducing carbon emissions.