Milwaukee council OKs $20 million for streetcar extension

The Milwaukee Common Council yesterday approved $20 million for the proposed Fourth Street Extension of the city's future streetcar line.

A rendering of Brookville Equipment Corp.'s streetcar for Milwaukee
Source: Milwaukee Streetcar

Funded through two existing and one new tax incremental districts, the money will act as a local match for a pending $20 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant request, Milwaukee Streetcar officials announced on the project's website.

The 0.75-mile extension would connect to the city's downtown convention center, the Shops of Grand Avenue and the future site of the Milwaukee Bucks Arena.

City officials applied for the TIGER VIII grant for the extension on April 29.

The first 2.1-mile phase of the Milwaukee Streetcar route will run from the Milwaukee Intermodal Station to the city's lower east side.

Utility relocation work is underway for the route's first phase, which is slated to open for service in 2018.