TDA: On The Go Podcast

The ACE (Aviation Careers Education) Program is back this summer, connecting Milwaukee public high school students with airport employers to open doors for these young people to pursue aviation-related careers and learn job skills. Harold Mester, director of public affairs and marketing at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, speaks with TDA's Debby Jackson about this successful 30-year-old s...

Have you tried an e-scooter?  In this episode of the On The Go podcast, Austin Marshburn, head of city and university partnerships at Bird, talks with TDA's Debby Jackson about how e-scooters are becoming an important part of the transportation mix in cities, including almost a dozen in Wisconsin, who uses them, and how the system works.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released preliminary traffic fatality numbers showing the U.S. reached a 16-year high in 2021. In this episode of the On The Go podcast, Nicholas Jarmusz, AAA Director of Public Affairs for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, joins TDA's Debby Jackson to discuss the upcoming summer travel season and what we can all do to make the roads safe...

TDA learns a lot by watching what is happening in other states. In this episode of the On The Go podcast, Margaret Donahoe, executive director of the Minnesota Transportation Alliance, joins TDA's Debby Jackson to discuss all things Minnesota transportation.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is all the news. We hear about the funding for roads, bridges, public transportation, and the transition to electric vehicles. But what about investment in ports and waterways? Adam Tindall-Schlicht, director of Port Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Commercial Ports Association president, joins TDA's Debby Jackson on the latest episode of the On The Go...

Every year in Wisconsin, people die needlessly on or around railroad tracks. Many of these accidents occur where there are warning devices alerting drivers and pedestrians to the presence of trains. Sept 20-26 is Rail Safety Week in Wisconsin and throughout North America. Gary Koerner, state coordinator of Operation Lifesaver, joins TDA Executive Director Debby Jackson on this episode of the On Th...

Just about anywhere you go today, you will see help wanted signs. This labor shortage predates the pandemic, but the events of the last year (or so) certainly exacerbated the issue.   Dave Steele, executive director of the Regional Transit Leadership Council, joins TDA's Debby Jackson on the latest episode of the On The Go podcast. The two discuss the Council's plan to help workers fill in the "la...

A significant part of the state's economy, tourism was one of the hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic. But now, with the vaccine readily available, communities open for business, and pent-up travel demand, Wisconsinites are hitting the road this summer after more than a year of sticking close to home. In the latest episode of the  TDA On The Go Podcast , Executive Director Debby Jackson speaks...

AirVenture, described as the closest thing America has to a national airshow, returns to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh July 26 through August 1 after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. In the latest episode of the On the Go Podcast, TDA Executive Director Debby Jackson speaks with Dick Knapinski, director of communications for EAA, about this extraordinary event.

Bikes are booming! During the pandemic, sales of bikes skyrocketed, and the trend continues. Bike-share programs have also seen tremendous growth in many cities across the country, and Madison and Milwaukee bike-share systems thrive. As Bike Month comes to a close, Morgan Ramaker, Executive Director of BCycle, joins TDA's Debby Jackson to talk about the successful bike-share programs in Wisconsin...

In the latest episode,  TDA Executive Director Debby Jackson sits down with Ellen Voie, President & CEO, Women in Trucking Association . The Women In Trucking Association is a non-profit organization with the mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry.

Mark O'Connell, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Counties Association, is also the current President of the Board of Directors of TDA. In this episode, Debby and Mark discuss how they both addressed the organizational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and they examine the short and long-term opportunities facing TDA.

It's state budget time. In this episode, TDA's Debby Jackson reviews the Governor's budget address and speaks with Sean Stephenson of the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, a veteran of several state budget sessions as a former capitol staffer and current director of government & member relations at WTBA. Stephenson breaks down the budget process and outlines what actions we may expect...

The I-94 East-West project in Milwaukee is not only vital to city and area residents, but it's also crucial for the region and the entire state. In this episode, Debby speaks with Steve Baas, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) and a member of I-94 East-West Econ Connect, a diverse coalition of community and business groups adv...

With winter right around the corner, Eau Claire County Highway Commissioner Jon Johnson is the featured guest on the latest episode of the On the Go podcast. Johnson explains the logistics of snow removal and winter road maintenance and the challenges of managing through Wisconsin's unpredictable winters and now a pandemic.

Chris Boucher, Winneconne Village President, joins Debby to talk about the new Winneconne bridge (WIS 116) over the Fox River. This project is among the 12 national finalists competing in America's Transportation Awards for the Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award. You can vote up to once a day at americastransportationawards.org  until October 25. After you vote, show support for this great...

We could all use some good news these days, especially stories that give us a glimpse of life after the pandemic. We want to hear about investments in our communities and transportation projects moving forward to benefit us and the economy well beyond COVID-19. Dan Basile, Chief Operations Officer at Milwaukee County Transit System, joins TDA's Debby Jackson to talk about one such project in Milwa...

Have you tried to buy a bike recently? Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sales of mid-range bikes have skyrocketed and they have become hard to find. Kirsten Finn, Executive Director of The Wisconsin Bike Fed joins Debby on this episode of TDA: On The Go to discuss how cycling has taken off during the pandemic and how the Fed fits into the overall transportation system in Wisconsin.

David Noyce, professor of civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory (TOPS Lab), joins Debby for a discussion about travel disruption in Wisconsin in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. To what extent has travel rebounded, and what can we expect in the near future?  Noyce also explains TOPS' mission of improving traffic oper...

Public transit is another part of Wisconsin's critical infrastructure that has remained operational throughout the pandemic. In this episode, Debby Jackson talks with Ron McDonald, General Manager of Valley Transit in the Fox Valley. Jackson and McDonald talk about how Valley Transit has continued its operations, how the organization is safeguarding transit workers and passengers, and the role of...

Emily Traiforos of Go Rail joins TDA's Debby Jackson to discuss the critical role of the railroad industry during the COVID-19 health emergency.

Debby Jackson of the TDA is joined by Abe Weber, director of the Appleton International Airport (ATW).  Abe also sits on the board of the Wisconsin Airport Management Association.   Debby and Abe discuss Wisconsin airport operations during "safer at home" orders.

We are continuing our series of podcasts dedicated to showing how our different areas of transportation are dealing with the Covid-19 related "Safer at home" orders. Today, Debby Jackson talks with Neal Kedzie, president of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, about the critical role that trucks and truckers are playing right now.

On this episode of On The Go, Debby Jackson is joined by Dean Haen, director of the Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department and the President of the Wisconsin Commercial Ports Association to learn about the impact of COVID-19 on Wisconsin's ports and waste disposal.

On this edition of the On The Go Podcast, Debby talks with La Crosse County Highway Commissioner Ron Chamberlain about the essential work being performed by highway crews around the state during "Safer At Home".