Starting Sunday, March 8, the Milwaukee County Transit System will shorten five routes, detour seven routes for construction and update schedules for two routes to improve reliability during the I-94 roadwork. The changes are part of MCTS’ Phase II transition plan to maximize service while addressing what could have been a $14 million budget deficit in 2026.
According to Jesus Ochoa, MCTS director of service development, the changes were based on data showing low ridership on certain routes, demographics and population.
“We want to make sure that any change we make has the least amount of impact,” he said.
Here’s what you need to know.
Shortening routes 11, 22, 24, 80 and 88
With an extra $9 million in remaining ARPA funds and an additional $4.78 million allocation from the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, MCTS was able to shorten routes 11, 22, 24, 80 and 88 rather than eliminate them.
The changes will result in longer wait times of 23 to 53 minutes, and daytime buses on weekdays will run less often.
According to MCTS officials, approximately 900 daily riders will be affected by the shortened routes but 90% won’t notice any of the changes.
“We were able to include some of our trips prior to 6 a.m. because some of our riders have to be at work at that time and we know a lot of students rely on our services to get home from school,” Ochoa said.
Route 11 going westbound will turn back at North 92nd Street, instead of ending at North 124th Street.
Eastbound Route 22 will turn back at North Humboldt Boulevard, instead of ending at UW-Milwaukee.
All trips on route 24 will turn back at South 74th Street and West Edgerton Avenue near Southridge, instead of serving downtown Greendale as some trips do today.
Route 80 will turn back at the Glendale Industrial Park near North Green Bay Road and West Florist Avenue on the north end, instead of West Good Hope Road and North Teutonia Avenue.
Route 88 will turn back at North 107th Street on the west end, instead of North 124th Street.
Click here to view the shortened route modifications.
Several MPS high schools are affected by these changes.
Students can click here to see which routes and their trip times.
MCTS construction detours
Throughout spring, certain routes will be on long-term detours, causing earlier or later arrival and departure times.
Here are the detoured routes:
The Route 18 eastbound route is expected to detour in mid-April to West Greenfield Avenue from West National Avenue from Miller Park Way to South Layton Boulevard.
Route 24 will continue to detour off the 16th Street Bridge over the Menomonee River Valley. The detour will be in both directions and last until fall 2026.
Route 44U will continue to detour due to the 68th Street on-ramp to I-94 closure. Service to the State Fair park and ride lot will be maintained.
Route 60 will continue to detour off North 60th Street between Main Street and Bluemound Road due to the I-94 construction project. The detour will be in both directions and last until late 2028.
The Route 80 detour at Mitchell International Airport will continue. The detour bypasses the cell phone lot and stops at the north end of departures, near American and United ticketing.
Green Line will also continue to detour at Mitchell International Airport, bypassing the cell phone lot and laying over at the south end of the baggage claim area.
Purple Line will continue to detour off 27th Street between West Clybourn Street and West National Avenue, also part of the I-94 construction project. The detour in both directions will last until late 2027.
MCTS is partnering with WisDOT to add additional time on CONNECT 1 and Route 30 since traffic will likely become heavier due to the long-term construction project on I-94.
Click here for more information on the spring service changes.
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