Agreement lets Metra move forward

By Journal Times staff

Friday, February 25, 2005 2:05 PM CST

The county executives and mayors of Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation signed an agreement that will act as the management structure for the next steps of the commuter rail Metra extension project.

The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission will provide staffing and technical support for the seven-way partnership, and the Wisconsin DOT will act as the lead technical advisor.

"It's the first concrete step in 23 years to move the Metra forward, other than conversation," Racine Mayor Gary Becker said.

The agreement allows an environmental impact study to begin. The new intergovernmental group has also agreed to have long-term financing plans and other work needed for preliminary engineering by September.

For more on this story, see Saturday's print edition of The Journal Times.

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