The federal government is providing $72.8 million for the Muskego Yard Freight Rail Bypass project in Milwaukee, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced Monday.
The project is considered by transportation officials as critical to add new passenger rail routes in Wisconsin and to add additional Amtrak train service between Milwaukee and Chicago, by reducing freight rail traffic through the Milwaukee Intermodal Station.
The Muskego Yard is a railyard in the Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee. The bypass project includes the installation of a Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) system which allows signals to automatically change in response to track occupancy and remote control and the rehabilitation of the 100 year-old structure across Burnham Canal and the Menomonee Valley River to accommodate higher loading capacity and speed, according to the (WisDOT) website.
The project is also expected to increase efficiency by replacing or rehabilitating approximately five bridges, according to a press release.
The project will cost $91 million to complete and will build over 21,000 track feet (TF) of new mainline track from the Kinnickinnic River Bridge to just east of the Menomonie River Bridges with additional yard improvements, according to WisDOT.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) received $26.6 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in 2020 to complete final design and for construction for the project.
“In many ways, the future of rail in Wisconsin hinges on a successful Muskego Yard bypass project,” said Kristina Boardman, secretary of WisDOT. “We’re thrilled to receive this pivotal funding that will significantly reshape our rail infrastructure plans in the coming years. Thanks to this federal investment, we’ll be able to further support freight and passenger rail services throughout Wisconsin and consider expansion of services in additional corridors.”
The design will start in 2025 and is expected to be finished in 2026. Construction will start in 2027 with “substantial” completion at the end of 2029, WisDOT said.
Earlier this year, construction for another project necessary for expansion of passenger rail service between Milwaukee and Chicago began at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. Dubbed the “Milwaukee Airport Rail Station Second Platform and Pedestrian Overpass Project (MARS),” the WisDOT project involves adding a west-side platform and a pedestrian overpass connecting the existing station to the new platform.
