Madison officials say they are not giving up hope that over $100 million in federal funding for an extension of bus rapid transit can survive a potential axing from President-elect Donald Trump and the new Republican-controlled Congress.
Still, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and others caution it’s too soon to say what the new White House administration might mean for the city’s infrastructure needs.
“I think it is a question of whether we can do the full build-out of a real BRT (bus rapid transit) line, or if we might have to make incremental improvements,” Rhodes-Conway told the Cap Times. “The scale of the federal funds are such that we won’t be able to replace them locally. And so it really is just a question of ‘Is there federal money?’ And, if not, what might we be able to move forward (with) absent the federal money.”
“And I think we really don’t know the answer to that yet. … I’m still hopeful that we might be able to get federal funding for that project (BRT) and honestly other projects.”
Federal support is already locked in for several major projects, such as an overhaul of John Nolen Drive. But the election has prompted cities across the country, including Madison, to prepare for uncertainty when it comes to future infrastructure funding.
Trump’s election could usher in a different approach to mass transit, passenger rail and other areas that President Joe Biden championed in landmark spending bills that became windfalls for Madison.
That could affect BRT.
The Federal Transit Administration in March recommended that $118.1 million flow to a bus rapid transit line that would run from Fitchburg to north Madison. The more streamlined line with its dedicated bus lane would also connect with the existing BRT route that runs from west Madison to near East Towne Mall.
The city is still completing the paperwork needed, including an environmental review, to secure the grant funding for the north-south line, steps that could happen by the middle of 2025.
Securing the needed funding is another matter. The Federal Transit Administration confirmed the BRT money is part of a federal spending plan that has been held up in Congress for months.
When Biden introduced his budget proposal for 2025, it included $2.4 billion in funding for projects across the country, including BRT.
The spending blueprint that advanced in the U.S. Senate largely mirrored Biden’s proposal for transit projects.
But the version voted on by a U.S. House committee proposes stark cuts and does not appear to include funding for Madison’s BRT proposal.
The appropriations process in Congress ran into a brick wall before the presidential election earlier this month, and both sides will have to reach a budget deal before Dec. 20 to avert a government shutdown.
Lawmakers might try to approve another temporary budget stopgap until March, which would give Trump and the incoming GOP-controlled Congress significantly more control over the process.
About 78% of the initial funding for the north-south BRT line comes from the federal government, with the rest covered by the city and funds from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Even if the federal funding doesn’t happen, Rhodes-Conway didn’t rule out moving forward with the north-south line, albeit on a more limited scale.
“As with many projects, we are prepared to look at plans B and C and D, and remain committed to providing good transit to our community one way or another,” Rhodes-Conway said.
A Wisconsin DOT spokesperson confirmed the state will make repairs along the BRT route regardless of whether the federal funding is approved, namely repaving portions of South Park Street.
John Nolen Drive, other road projects to proceed
Justin Stuehrenberg, general manager of Madison Metro, said the city transit system is “trying to make contingency plans” for various scenarios but that until Trump gives a clearer picture of his plans, “I don’t think there’s much value in speculating.”
“Unlike other things, infrastructure spending is somewhat bipartisan, so I don’t think it’s a given that we see significant pullback in funding overall,” Stuehrenberg wrote in an email to the Cap Times.
Federal funding is locked in for a John Nolen Drive reconstruction project, but other Madison infrastructure plans could be affected by the incoming Donald Trump administration.
Funding for other infrastructure projects in Madison, like roads, has a somewhat clearer future with Trump set to take office.
City Engineer Jim Wolfe noted that the last four years have created unusual funding streams for transportation projects, whether that was in COVID-19 aid bills, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or the Inflation Reduction Act.
Whereas the city might get one project funded in a two-year cycle, Madison is now getting four. That was always unlikely to continue, regardless of who takes office, Wolfe said.
The rush of money from Washington, D.C., helped secure aid to overhaul John Nolen Drive, funding which Madison is guaranteed to receive. The city was able to spend some of the federal funding to help make upgrades to High Point Road and Mineral Point Road, which are major traffic arteries in west Madison.
There is uncertainty, Wolfe said, about whether the city will be able to take advantage of funding opportunities currently being rolled out by the Biden administration. He pointed to the bipartisan nature of transportation funding as a positive sign for ensuring grant programs the city normally relies on will remain robust.
“I think we feel pretty comfortable that we’ll continue to get funding for a lot of those major projects,” Wolfe said.
City Council Ald. Tag Evers said one thing the threat of lost federal funding should not affect is Madison’s position on policies it opposes. That could include efforts to target LGBTQ+ Americans or mass deportations of undocumented residents.
“We (elected officials) in Madison dare not capitulate because we’re afraid Trump and his minions hold the purse strings,” Evers said in an email. “Instead, we must stand up for our values and work together for the return of sanity in our politics, having faith that the darkness of this present moment will not last.”