MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas, UWM Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administrative Affairs Robin Van Harpen and business leaders from Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties will hold a news conference on Friday, January 16th to discuss the economic importance of the new MCTS Bus Routes.
The new Gold and Purple Lines and Route 61, which serves jobs in Menomonee Falls and the Germantown Industrial Park, will launch on Sunday, January 18th, 2015.
“Since taking office we’ve continued to improve transit in Milwaukee County for the tens of thousands of people who use it every day to get to work and school. Over the past four years we have not raised fares while also adding new route miles, including more than a million miles this year. The new routes that go into effect this weekend build on that success by connecting riders to schools and job centers, including in Waukesha and Washington Counties," County Executive Chris Abele said.
“It is important that we invest in transportation to help people looking for work connect with job creators and ensure that people already working have a reliable way to travel to and from their jobs. Transit, along with investments in our existing roads and infrastructure, plays a key role in providing transportation options to area residents,” County Executive Dan Vrakas said.
County Executive Abele, the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation and MCTS worked together to secure more than $17 million in federal grants to help pay for the new Gold and Purple express routes, which will offer more efficient service. The PurpleLine operates between Green Bay Avenue & Hampton Avenue and 27th Street & Sycamore Avenue. The GoldLine runs between UWM and Brookfield Square Mall.
“UWM is delighted about the creation of a new express bus line that will help our students, faculty, staff, and visitors travel to campus from various regions in the metropolitan area. This also provides efficiencies and helps to reduce parking and traffic congestion,” UWM Chancellor Mark Mone added.
The New Route 61 operates between 35th Street & Capitol Drive and Appleton Avenue & County Line Road in Waukesha County. Route 61 will also travel to the Germantown Industrial Park (weekday shift times only) in Washington County.
CLICK HERE to learn more about MCTS.