Small Business Grants

Milwaukee traffic grant to study every traffic signal in the city [Video]
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Small Business Funding

Milwaukee traffic grant to study every traffic signal in the city [Video]

BEHIND THIS PROJECT. TRAFFIC SIGNALS CREATE ORDER OUT OF WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE TRAFFIC CHAOS. AND AS MILWAUKEE CITY ENGINEER WILL TELL YOU, THERE IS ACTUAL SCIENCE THAT GOES INTO THE TIMING AND COORDINATION OF THOSE SIGNALS. WE WANT TO USE IT AS A SPEED MANAGEMENT TOOL. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO STAY CLOSER TO THE SPEED LIMIT ON EVERY STREET IN THE CITY. WE ARE ALSO STUDYING WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD BE REDUCING THE SPEED LIMITS. SO AGAIN, IF WE REDUCE THE SPEED LIMIT, WE MAYBE SHOULD BE RETIMING THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS. SO THAT WILL WORK. YOU KNOW, THOSE WILL WORK IN TANDEM. THIS CAN IMPACT A LOT OF THINGS LIKE EVEN IDLING OR FUEL USE OR IMPATIENCE. EXACTLY. YES. MILWAUKEE HAS A STAGGERING 760 INTERSECTIONS CONTROLLED BY TRAFFIC SIGNALS, AND THE CITY WAS JUST AWARDED 5.3 MILLION FEDERAL DOLLARS TO CALL IN NATIONAL EXPERTS TO HELP STUDY HOW TO BEST RETIME THEM ALL. ITS MONEY, ACCORDING TO THE FEDS, THAT CAN ONLY BE USED TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY BY REDUCING TRAFFIC CONGESTION. ONE OF THE THINGS WELL BE LOOKING AT IS SHOULD WE BE MOVING LONGER OR SHORTER ON THOSE CYCLES? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS, THE SAFETY BENEFITS, INCLUDING MAYBE BETTER COMPLIANCE BECAUSE PEOPLE MAYBE WILL BE LESS IMPATIENT IF WE CAN GET TO A SHORTER CYCLE. 60 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN THE MORE THAN 3000 MILWAUKEE CRASHES, SO FAR THIS YEAR. IMPATIENCE RUNNING RED LIGHTS IS A BIG FACTOR IN MANY OF THEM. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE LOGICAL TRAFFIC FLOW. WE ALSO WANT TO USE THEM AS A LITTLE BIT OF A SPEED MANAGEMENT TOOL. SO WE DONT WANT TO REWARD PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING, YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN AMOUNT OVER THE SPEED LIMIT BY GIVING THEM A WHOLE BUNCH OF GREENS IN A ROW, RIGHT? SO ITS THAT BALANCING ACT. STUDYING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IS ANOTHER PART, POSSIBLY RETIMING THE WALK SIGNALS SO THAT THE PEDESTRIAN GETS A HEAD START OF MAYBE THREE SECONDS BEFORE THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN FOR TRAFFIC WITH 20 PEDESTRIANS KILLED LAST YEAR AND 16 MORE SO FAR THIS YEAR, THE CITY WANTS TO TRY EVERYTHING, SO YOURE LIKELY TO BE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER TEN FEET OUT INTO THE INTERSECTION. AND SO THEYRE MORE LIKELY TO YIELD FOR YOU. AND THEN ALSO, JUST FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, THEYRE MORE LIKELY TO SEE YOU. AND THE CITY BELIEVES THIS WILL BE ONE MORE IMPORTANT PIECE IN REDUCING DEVASTATING CRASHES. COULD THIS HAVE A DETERRENT EFFECT ON RECKLESS DRIVING? THATS WHAT WERE

Algiers Ferry Terminal to undergo major renovation soon [Video]
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Small Business Funding

Algiers Ferry Terminal to undergo major renovation soon [Video]

Since first opening in the late 1970s, the Algiers ferry terminal is set to get a major upgrade, and construction is scheduled to begin before the end of the year.According to the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, the finalized designs for the terminal are nearly complete. The goal is for the terminal to be a transportation location and a community hub.Plans for the Algiers Ferry Terminal include a renovated two-story building, public facilities, ADA-compliant entryways, and more.”I would love the improvements,” one commuter said. “When you have to use the restroom and things like that. With the building not being open, we can’t use the restroom.””Coffee shops and stuff like that (would) make a big improvement of it, but we really need this,” another commuter said, who rides the ferry daily.RTA has been working on this as a total overhaul and more than just a re-design of the building.According to Lona Hankins, RTA CEO, the agency is spending $9.7 million in federal grants and a match from the state of Louisiana.”Additionally, the ramp onto the ferry will be reimagined,” Hankins said.”It was for cars, it clanks, and it’s really loud. So we’re gonna remove that feature hopefully such that it has (a) grate,” she explained.The walk onto the ferry will be a new experience with a covered, weather-proof walkway and more accessibility for people with disabilities.Plans for the interior of the terminal include public restrooms, community meeting rooms, cafe-style shops and more.”Accessibility is really key, so what you will see is this entranceway redesigned and revamped such that if you are special needs, you’re not coming down the sideways in a separate entrance. You can enjoy the main entrance,” Hankins said.For the commuters who depend on the ferry daily, renovations and redesigns are welcomed news.The first community meeting is set for Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the ferry terminal.Terminal construction is scheduled to begin in early 2025.

Stormwater project approved in St. Albans to help keep Lake Champlain clean [Video]
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Small Business Funding

Stormwater project approved in St. Albans to help keep Lake Champlain clean [Video]

On Tuesday, voters in St. Albans helped take a crucial step toward securing a greener future.”Water quality, especially as you get closer to the lake in St. Albans Bay, is a critical issue in the community,” said Chip Sawyer, the director of planning and development in the city.Sawyer spearheaded the Lemnah Drive Stormwater Project. Voters approved the measure, giving the city the green light to kickstart the project.”We found some grant funding that will cover half of the cost, but we needed the bond and the debt to fund the other half of the project that will be covered by our stormwater utility,” Sawyer said.That cost is $1.25 million.Half of it will be going toward the gravel wetland on Lemnah Drive, which will help slow stormwater down when it rains and will remove phosphorus, cyanobacteria and other nutrients that would harm the lake.The other $500,000 will pay for a new vacuum truck that allows crews to clean out basins and pump water for system repairs.The money the city does not have, will be coming out of the annual storm water utility fee which community members are already paying for so they will not be seeing a difference in their next bill.”We can’t wait any longer; we need to continue to invest resources and protect the lake now,” said Lake Champlain Basin Program’s Eric Howe.Howe said phosphorus levels are running high in the city. Those levels are higher than they should be, and not just during the warmer months.”The work that the city of St. Albans is doing and is going to do in the future is critical,” Howe said.He said the city is in the midst of a perfect storm, with an increase in development around Lake Champlain. With intense storms and flooding, and the arrival of new invasive species, it is more important than ever to reduce the amount of pollution in the lake. Howe said he hopes other communities will take these concerns seriously, as the city is doing with this project.”The more work that the rest of our communities across the Lake Champlain Basin can do to reduce phosphorus from their particular areas of the watershed will collectively help all of us working and enjoying Lake Champlain to meet our phosphorus goals,” Howe said.The project should be started and completed next year.