Pro-rail forces in Milwaukee have one month to file a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's decision to force the city to pay for utility relocation needed for right-of-way construction.
Wisconsin's Public Service Commission in August ruled the city had to cover all costs of utility relocation, and is expected to ignore a city appeal of the ruling, most likely bypassing further discussion on the matter at its meeting Friday, Oct. 17, 2014.
Should the ruling stand, capital costs for the 2.1-mile streetcar project through downtown would rise by roughly $20 million. Milwaukee currently has identified roughly $64 million, including federal funding of $54.9 million, for the project.
Milwaukee has struggled to advance the rail project despite continued resistance from its namesake county, reinforced by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Milwaukee's squabble over utility relocation follows similar instances for streetcar implementation elsewhere in the U.S., notably Cincinnati.