MILWAUKEE – After several delays related to the construction of The Couture high-rise complex, the first expansion of Milwaukee’s streetcar “The Hop” is just weeks away from a limited launch.
Several area media members, myself included, were given the chance to preview what a trip on The Hop’s “L-Line” will look like from the rider’s perspective. The route will operate in a loop around downtown Milwaukee, and will provide riders access to nearby sites such as the U.S. Bank tower, the transit hub that will accompany the Couture project, Discovery World, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Summerfest grounds.
The new route will share a handful of stations with the already existing “M-Line”, while serving its own unique stops on both Michigan and Clybourn Streets as well as eventually the aforementioned transit hub. Service at that stop will remain unavailable while work continues on the construction site, but a platform is already visible on the east end.
Admittedly, the decision to run a streetcar extension that only has two unique stops while the highlight of the line is still under construction may seem a bit strange. Milwaukee Department of Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke said Wednesday the decision ultimately came down to getting people used to seeing the streetcar on two new streets downtown. “Really, it just comes down to providing as much access as we can to our citizens,” said Kruschke.
Also moving the process forward could have been the potential loss of a 14.2 million dollar Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER grant, from the federal government that tied directly to the streetcar’s lakefront line operating by a certain point. That point was pushed back as construction delays on The Couture project built up, but ultimately a final date of October 31st, 2023 was set for the line to at least be partially operational by.
For now, service will be offered on Sundays from 7a.m. to 10p.m., with full service expected to begin in April of 2024 once Couture construction is further along.
