Governor Doyle approves $2.3 million for rural transit projects

November 27, 2007

Governor Jim Doyle has approved 17 grants totaling $2,345,699 for projects that will help non-urbanized areas develop or expand public transportation. The grants will provide incentives to expand existing rural public transit systems, and to plan or start up new ones.

"Wisconsin is the only state in the nation to receive these federal funds to develop new approaches to support public transportation in rural areas," said Governor Doyle. "This is the second of four funding cycles, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive."

Thirteen grants will go to local governments or Native American Tribes to expand existing services or start new ones. Four grants will go to local governments for planning activities. For example, La Crosse County will establish a transit service and expand a shared ride taxi program. Grant County will expand the Grant County Taxi service into Dodgeville, Mineral Point and Darlington, in Iowa and Lafayette counties. And Vernon County will hire a mobility manager, conduct a marketing campaign and develop a countywide volunteer driver program.

Eligible applicants include local governments, transit commissions, regional planning commissions, and tribal governments. In the first round of grants, awarded in January 2007, 16 projects received $1.16 million in funding. The third grant cycle will be announced in late spring of 2008.

The federal funds, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, come from the Supplemental Transportation Rural Assistance Program (STRAP).

See attached list of grant recipients, project contacts, award amounts and descriptions of projects.

For more information, contact:
Becky Soderholm, Transit Section
(608) 266-1650, becky.soderholm@dot.state.wi.us