The county’s transit system won’t pursue a second rapid bus line due to financial constraints.

A postponed bus rapid transit (BRT) project in Milwaukee could be shelved for a decade or more, says the Milwaukee County Transit System.
“The north-south project would have been called the Connect 2 and intersected with Connect 1, the nine-mile BRT line running between downtown Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa,” explains Graham Kilmer in Urban Milwaukee.
“A major factor driving the decision, according to MCTS, was new estimates that it would cost approximately $6 million annually to operate the second BRT line.” The system will shift funds that would have gone to the project to its operating budget instead, buying the system one more year before having to consider service cuts. According to Kilmer, “MCTS will need action at the state level to secure enough revenue to stabilize the system and pursue a project like the Connect 2 again.”
FULL STORY: New BRT Project Gone For a Decade

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
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Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
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Washington State Plans Ambitious ‘Cycle Highway’ Network
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Homeowners Blame PG&E for Delays in ADU Permits
The utility says it has dramatically reduced its backlog, but applicants say they still face months-long delays for approvals for new electrical work.

Rethinking Wildfire Defense: How a Landscape Approach Can Protect Neighborhoods
Post-fire analysis of the Eaton Fire reveals that a landscape approach — including fire-resistant vegetation, home hardening, and strategic planning — can help reduce wildfire risk, challenging assumptions that trees and plants are primary fire hazards.
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