Madison faces a “high” risk of losing $118 million in federal funding for its planned north-south bus rapid transit (BRT) route, according to city transportation director Thomas Lynch. Isthmus reported that although the Federal Transit Administration recommended the funding in May 2024, the city has yet to secure a contract. With the Trump administration shifting infrastructure funding priorities, Lynch warned at a March 3 finance committee meeting that securing the grant within the next four years is uncertain.
City officials are exploring alternative strategies to implement portions of the BRT improvements without federal funding. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has suggested the city may pursue a scaled-down version of the route, which was originally set for a 2028 launch. The project was expected to build on the success of the east-west BRT route, which received nearly $140 million in federal funds and launched in September 2024.
Ald. MGR Govindarajan criticized the administration’s funding cuts, calling them a setback for Madison’s efforts to expand BRT citywide. He noted that Metro Transit ridership increased 10% in late 2024 following the east-west BRT launch and that the north-south route was expected to drive economic activity in some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods. Losing the grant, he said, would disproportionately burden low-income residents and communities of color.
The Trump administration’s broader budget proposal includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over the next decade and $2 trillion in spending reductions, placing green energy initiatives and transit projects like Madison’s electric BRT buses at particular risk. City finance director David Schmiedicke noted that funding cuts are likely part of an effort to offset tax breaks, while City Attorney Michael Haas warned of potential legal battles over future federal funding decisions.
Despite the uncertainty, Govindarajan remains hopeful, pointing to ongoing lobbying efforts at the federal level. “If we can secure the funding, then all of these hypotheticals are just hypotheticals,” he said.
