MILWAUKEE — The first extension of Milwaukee’s streetcar, The Hop, should be in service by the time the city hosts the Democratic National Convention, and a short second extension connecting the system to the city’s convention center is in the planning stage and should also be ready for convention crowds.
Urban Milwaukee reports that work will begin in September on the planned 0.3-mile extension to the convention center, which will connect to the current western end of the line near the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. An additional extension, to connect the system to the Fiserv Forum, the arena which will host the Democratic convention, is under discussion. The city has set aside $20 million for that project, although it failed to win a hoped-for federal grant for an additional $20 million in December 2018.
Work will resume in June on the first extension to the Hop, a loop to the lakefront, most of which has already been built. It is scheduled to open in 2020.
The 2.1-mile first phase of the Hop system opened in November 2018.
Actually, the city of Milwaukee is one of those once forlorn towns that slowly is getting back on its feet, with major housing developments along the refreshed Milwaukee River (which is seeing the return of otters and spawning runs), the historic 3rd ward, and “Walker’s Point.” Something on the order of 23 micro-breweries and more coming. Major Milw. School of Engineering expansion in the center city close to the “Fiserve Forum and performing arts center. The Milw. Symphony Orchestra has just hired a new conductor, son of the legendary Kurt Mazur, and is poised to move into its new concert hall.
Like many other older northern cities, Milwaukee suffered from white flight (witness Kalmbach) and, to this day is profoundly affected by the hangman’s noose of conservative suburbs surrounding it which remain anti-rail. Progress, such as it has been, is slow and likely will remain so due to entrenched attitudes.
very cool , they look nice from videos I have seen posted. We finally got a trolley running from our History Museum to Loop entertainment and shopping area. Rode it last month and very nice, but it is an old fashioned looking streetcar which is great. The kind I remember riding with my Mom.
What George and Mark said…
Erich, once Milwaukee was conservative. Now it’s just plain overrated. My wife is a Milwaukee native and a graduate of the once-laudable Milwaukee Public Schools. Now she won’t go there for any reason. She says there’s just nothing in that town that interests her. All the brains are in the racially mixed, immigrant heavy suburban neighborhoods such as ours.
A ballot initiative to be voted on by city residents to kill the trolley failed to get enough signatures to get on the ballot so died. A friend told me he carried the petition around his neighborhood on the South Side. Everyone was opposed to the trolley, my friend said, but few would sign the petition because they were too stupid to understand that the silly thing actually was going to happen.
And it did happen.
Over the decades I have seen numerous proposals for transit in Milwaukee (and suburbs), exactly none of which would carry significant numbers of people or make the slightest dent in traffic congestion.
The Milwaukee Streetcar is not free. The local Casino is paying for the first year of operation, after that they will more than likely charge a fare.
I had to laugh when I heard Milwaukee was selected for the DNC Convention. I don’t think the Democrats have any clue what they are getting into. Milwaukee is very conservative and had to fight for decades for that trolley against the conservative base there. Also will be interesting if any anti-semetic comments are made at the DNC because Milwaukee is definitely well into the pro-Israel camp as well. It might be 1968 all over again…..lol.
The Milwaukee streetcar is free, because no one would pay to ride it. Free stuff and the Democratic convention platform go together like two whiskers on the same chin
In 15 months? That’s not enough time for utility relocations. It’s not even enough time for engineering drawings.
Milwaukee, short on policemen and firemen, streets a mess with potholes and disrepair, school system a mess, and they’re spending $ on a street car to nowhere. Potty the poor democrats that might have to walk a block or two.
Ditto George Pins
None of the Dems will take the trolley. They’ll be in their stretch limos, even if it’s only a few blocks. The trolley is for the little deplorables.
I was going to post that I couldn’t wait to hear Charles Landey sound off on this one, but he beat me to it.