Transport 2020, a Dane County and Madison commuter rail study, released findings Wednesday about the economic and environmental impact alternative transportation would have on the Madison community.
The 13-mile commuter rail track would start and end at opposite ends of the city and run through the heart of the UW-Madison campus, as well as much of downtown. Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk proposed the plan and has said it would help provide relief to congested rush hour roadways.
Falk's proposal to provide Madison with alternative methods of transportation coincides with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's plan to bring streetcars to downtown Madison. A study for streetcars found the cost to total more than $58 million. Transport 2020 found its cost to be significantly less than streetcars.
Falk also has said streetcars and Transport 2020 would be unlikely to coexist because of limited available funding. Still, Cieslewicz's spokesman George Twigg said the mayor sees the streetcar study as ""complimentary"" to the Transport 2020 study.
""There's no reason why these two studies can't continue down parallel tracks,"" Twigg said.
Transport 2020 is still in its early stages. The next public forum is Thursday, May 3.
