Rail Would Not Do Much to Ease Highway Traffic

Supporters of passenger rail say it will reduce dangerous traffic congestion in Southern Wisconsin.

Transit Now states “Traffic is choking neighborhoods and business districts.  There is not enough land to build roads and parking to ease current congestion, much less with expected growth and the upcoming Zoo interchange reconstruction.  Highway traffic in Milwaukee is ranked #34 for the most severe traffic congestion among 75 US cities.”

Governor Doyle says a Milwaukee-Madison rail line will reduce automobile trips by 7.8 million … over 10 years.

Transit Now says a Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee rail line will serve 1.71 million passengers a year.

Even if you accept the projections made by the proponents of rail, as this interactive graphic indicates, these projects won’t have much impact on the daily traffic congestion on I-94.