U.S. Dot to provide $46.5 Million for Wisconsin high-speed rail

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed an agreement providing $46.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for work to continue on the state's aggressive high-speed rail program. The funding is the latest installment from the $822 million that President Obama announced for Wisconsin high-speed rail from the Recovery Act in January.

Wisconsin previously
received a $5.7 million Recovery Act grant that brings their high-speed rail
total to $52.2 million. Nationally, an unprecedented $8 billion down payment
for the creation of a national network of interconnected high-speed rail
corridors was included in the Recovery Act.

"President Obama’s bold
vision for high-speed rail is a game-changer for transportation in Wisconsin
and the United States," said Secretary LaHood. "This undertaking is not only
creating good jobs and reinvigorating our manufacturing base, it’s also going
to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels."

Under the grant agreement,
the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will complete preliminary
engineering and final design work, conduct program management activities and
complete environmental management plans for the Milwaukee to Madison high-speed
rail corridor that will operate at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour.

"The construction of the
Chicago to Madison line will create thousands of jobs over the next few years. Because
of everyone’s hard work, and because of President Obama’s vision and
investment, Wisconsin will see the long-term economic benefits and thousands of
new jobs from the construction of high speed rail," said Governor Doyle.

The previous grant
obligation of $5.7 million is currently funding environmental assessments of
planned new stations between Milwaukee and Madison.