Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) and the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin (BHCW) will sponsor a press event and bus tour on Friday, August 15 at 10:00 to launch two of three projected new bus routes to the suburbs. The event, to be held on the MICAH parking lot at North Fourth and Brown Streets, will celebrate the significant victory achieved by these groups in reaching a settlement with state and federal transportation officials and agencies, in their Zoo Interchange lawsuit. It was represented on their behalf by the ACLU of Wisconsin and Midwest Environmental Services.
Over the next four years, $13.5 million will enable three new bus routes to carry workers and potential job seekers from central city Milwaukee to industrial parks and suburban employment hubs and connect suburban residents to shopping centers and connections to medical and social resources.
“We are excited about these new bus routes, stated Dr. Patricia McManus, President and CEO of Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin. “Central city residents will no longer be land locked from much needed employment opportunities.”
In addition to the bus routes, this funding will also provide for mitigation measures that will include public outreach, engagement and marketing. “This is an opportunity to move us closer to what has been missing, a regional approach to transit,” added Rev. Willie Brisco, President of MICAH.
At the conclusion of the press conference attendees will be invited on board two Milwaukee County Transit System buses to experience the rides on the new Route 279 to Menomonee Falls and the new Route 6 to the New Berlin Industrial Park. The free rides will acquaint elected officials, transit advocates and job seekers, with the route, the ride, and the employment opportunities and other resources along the routes.
Flyers with route information and days and times of operation will be available at the event and updates on transit issues will be provided on the bus rides. Buses should return to the MICAH lot between 1:00 and 1:30 pm. The two routes begin on Sunday, August 24. A third route to Germantown will be launched in January 2015. To reserve a bus seat call the MICAH office, 414-264-0805.
MICAH and BHCW will also hold an Employer Information Session at BHCW (3020 W. Vliet Street) on Tuesday, August 19th from 2-5 pm. The event will feature of panel of employers from Menomonee Falls and New Berlin who have available employment opportunities.
