Re-imagining the road trip

Transportation, page 2
by becky salmela

WisDOT wants to provide as many transportation options for residents as possible. Not limiting planning solely to transportation needs, Connections 2030 includes plans for economic development, land use, financing for transportation plans and potential environmental factors.

Protecting the environment is a concern WisDOT considers vital when planning for the state’s infrastructure. Congestion in urban areas is harmful for air quality and energy consumption. Highways cannot be expanded because of land use issues. WisDOT considers protecting agricultural lands, wetlands and wildlife essential to all planning. Additionally, transportation decisions must include local-level planning to avoid separating neighborhoods or increasing noise levels.

WisDOT is solving these problems and concerns through long-range planning. Concepts like Connections 2030 help WisDOT, legislators and the state plan and prepare for future projects. Connections 2030 is a change from the current planning system used by WisDOT because it is a series of policy-based recommendations ranked by the level of funding required.

Connections 2030 contains statewide recommendations that differ depending on specific locations in the state. High-volume traffic areas receive greater attention to alleviate congestion and prepare for expansion. Improved roadways, new bridges or passenger train stations will aid rural areas.

Connections 2030 incorporates the needs and concerns of local residents by involving local governments. County and city officials are included in the planning stages, and their involvement is key to successful transportation projects. WisDOT has begun using a corridor approach to incorporate the local concerns into future transportation plans. Working with local governments and municipalities, WisDOT considers how to make future transportation plans and options as viable as possible for a community. Dalton says the plan improves coordination between the state and localities.

“It recommends what’s needed in a particular area to fix current problems and to be a little bit more explicit with what people can expect and should expect,” Dalton says. “We don’t look just at the highway; we also look at adjacent lands, asking, ‘Are there local roads, county roads that can be expanded? What impact will there be on the environment?’ Hopefully it reflects some of the local consideration.”

Dane County residents may see this collaboration in their own towns as state, county and municipal officials set their sights on Transport 2020. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk each proposed a transportation system—streetcar and light rail, respectively—to ease traffic congestion and parking headaches, and encourage positive economic development in Dane County and Madison. The long-range goal of Transport 2020 is to eliminate congestion in Madison by using existing rail lines for passenger transport. High-speed trains will link outer suburbs of Madison to the city.

Falk and Supervisor Scott McDonnell offered their rail transit proposal in August 2004. Dubbed “Dane Train,” the system of small, diesel-electric vehicles would run on existing rail corridors around Dane County and rail lines to be built into Madison streets. Phase One of Dane Train would connect Middleton to downtown Madison, with a total of 10 stops at places like the Hill Farms State Transportation Building, the UW-Madison campus, Capitol Square and the Alliant Energy Center. Eventually, lines could be expanded to link Fitchburg, the Dane County airport and Sun Prairie.

Considering the needs of moving people around the city, Madison’s mayor has chosen streetcars, a lighter-weight car similar to a trolley, as the focus of his new system. The mayor’s streetcars could also encourage development. The immovable track would increase property values with new businesses and dwellings, all while relieving pressure on roads and parking.

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