County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr. has proposed a new bus service from Milwaukee and Racine to the Foxconn Technology Group complex in Mt. Pleasant, a service that could ultimately bring more than 1,300 workers to the facility every day.
“We can make real progress on connecting workers to jobs by launching new bus service that links Milwaukee and Racine to the soon-to-be-built Foxconn complex in Mt. Pleasant, and we should start now. A dedicated bus line that connects hundreds of workers in Milwaukee and Racine to jobs at Foxconn would be a major step forward to address the gap between workers and new job opportunities. If we succeed, our effort could inspire greater intergovernmental collaboration and innovation as we look for more ways to help workers access available jobs,” said Lipscomb.
State and local leaders have highlighted need to connect workers in densely populated areas like Milwaukee and Racine to available jobs at Foxconn as a top priority. Policymakers and transit advocates are studying how to address the transportation challenges, but Lipscomb is the first to propose a large scale solution.
Chairman Lipscomb has invited Racine County and the State of Wisconsin to partner with Milwaukee County on the new service. Lipscomb’s proposal asks the two counties and the state to agree to pool the funds available to them after the sale of Midwest Airlines assets. The three parties jointly entered into a credit assistance package for Midwest in 2003.
After learning of the available funding source, Chairman Lipscomb asked the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) to conduct an analysis of the proposed route. The SEWRPC report reveals that more than 1,300 workers could take advantage of the bus service each day.
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