(rshsdepot) Milwaukee, WI

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

From the Business Journal.


Bernie Wagenblast
Transportation Communications Newsletter
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

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Get on board with Amtrak station project
14 February 2005


By Peter Beitzel

For many years, state officials and private developers have been working 
together to develop a workable plan to renovate the downtown Amtrak station. 
The intent is to become an ``intermodal`` facility, accommodating both 
trains and buses in one convenient location. Reconstruction was scheduled to 
begin this spring, funded through state and matching federal funds, as well 
as private investors. A delay in the project may result in the loss of those 
funds.

At the 11th hour, critics of the plan are throwing up roadblocks to prevent 
the renovation from moving forward, when it comes up for zoning and permit 
approvals. Milwaukee Ald. Robert Bauman cites a desire to make the 
renovation bigger and better, but offers no additional funding sources. It`s 
hard -- if not impossible -- to imagine where millions of more dollars would 
come from given budget crises at both the state and local levels. Recently, 
Mayor Tom Barrett has said he will leverage additional private investment to 
upgrade the plan. That`s great if he can make that happen, but not at the 
expense of lengthy delays.

The reality is that the station has been in dire need of repairs for many 
years. Internal upgrades to the mechanicals of the building are essential. 
The proposed design is a major step in the right direction, much improving 
visitors` first impression of our city. As work on the Marquette Interchange 
continues, the view from the Midwest Airlines Center to the station will 
become less obstructed and more of a focal point for conventioneers.

Few objections

Objections to the current plan have little grounding. The fast-food 
drive-through that was once discussed is no longer on the table. As St. Paul 
Avenue becomes a two-way street, the proposed provision of parking just west 
of the station will make it much easier for pedestrians. And additional 
surface parking will be an asset as existing Amtrak station parking spaces 
are removed for the Marquette construction.

Indeed, this project must be considered as one piece in an overall, 
integrated transportation plan. The current plan certainly does not preclude 
future upgrades and expansion of the facility and parking options when they 
become warranted.

Simply put, if we wait until the ``perfect`` plan is devised, the funding 
resources will not be available and we will be left with an aging eyesore 
that does nothing to improve our transportation infrastructure or our image. 
All the more reason to begin now, rather than doing what Milwaukee does far 
too often: debate, and wait, and wait.

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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