STUDY UPDATE:

The final Tier 2 and Tier 3 reports, including the recommended route alternative, are now available here. Send a question or comment to the project team at anytime by visiting the Contact page. Watch a video summarizing the recommended route alternative and next steps at the button below.

WATCH VIDEO

WHY ENHANCE TRANSIT ALONG 27TH STREET?

Hover over each box to learn more.

Investing in enhanced transit will help remedy existing inequities in the transportation network—which has long favored car travel and has played a role in many of the race and income disparities that exist today. People of color make up nearly 75% of the population in the corridor and are less likely to have access to a car than white, non-Hispanic households.

EQUITY

MOBILITY

Enhanced transit would help address the significant travel time difference between driving and transit along 27th Street. Improved shelters, safety provisions, and connections to other enhanced and high-frequency transit routes would improve mobility and help make transit more competitive with auto travel.

ACCESS

In the study area, 21% of households do not have a car, 25% are experiencing poverty, and 15% of people have a disability. Enhanced transit would provide more convenient, reliable access to jobs, grocery stores, schools, medical centers, and many other important activity centers in the area.

ECONOMY

Enhanced transit can encourage more dense, mixed-use development and redevelopment, and would also support existing businesses in the corridor by making it easier for employees and customers to reach them. Coordination with local governments can help ensure development efforts are inclusive and equitable.

SAFETY

Data and themes from public feedback point to significant traffic safety concerns in this area—from 2015-2019, 25% of pedestrian crashes in the county occurred within this corridor. Station design can incorporate pedestrian safety features and work as traffic calming.

ENVIRONMENT

An investment in enhanced transit along this corridor would attract new riders and reduce single occupancy vehicle trips. The use of no or low emission transit vehicles could further reduce environmental impacts and improve air quality.

ABOUT THE STUDY

Milwaukee County and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission are completing a study along and near 27th Street to enhance transit service. Both rail and bus services are being evaluated, and could increase frequency, add amenities, and potentially expand the existing Milwaukee County Transit Service (MCTS) PurpleLine service area—one of the most popular transit lines in the County. View the latest reports and preliminary drafts on the Library page, and review public meeting materials on the Engage page.

STUDY TIMELINE

THE STUDY TEAM

SEWRPC is assisting with the study at the request of Milwaukee County. Staff from Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) are also part of the project management team for the study. A Technical Advisory Committee and a Community Advisory Committee have been formed to support the study. Members of those committees are listed below.

Technical Advisory Committee

Village of Brown Deer
City of Franklin
City of Glendale
City of Greenfield
City of Milwaukee
City of Oak Creek
Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County Transit System
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration
Federal Highway Administration

Community Partners

Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative
Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges
Near West Side Partners, Inc.
Northwest Side CDC
VIA

Community Advisory Committee

30th Street Industrial Corridor Corporation
ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation
African American Roundtable
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998
Amani United
Bayshore (formerly Bayshore Town Center)
Black Health Coalition
Bublr Bikes
Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association
Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative
Employ Milwaukee
Ethnic & Diverse Business Coalition
Forest County Potawatomi
Hmong American Friendship Association
IndependenceFirst
Law Office of Dennis Grzezinski
Menomonee Valley Neighborhood Association
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges
MICAH
Milwaukee Center For Independence
Milwaukee Transit Riders Union
Milwaukee Urban League
NAACP
Near West Side Partners, Inc.
North Avenue Marketplace (27th and North)
Northwest Side Community Development Corporation
MobiliSE
South 27th Street Business Association
Southside Organizing Center
UWM
VIA CDC (formerly Layton Boulevard West Neighbors)