MADISON (WKOW) — A federal grant will help Madison’s bus system expand.

The city is getting $7 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

It was matched with $5 million locally. That money will be used to acquire a portion of the Oscar Mayer property to serve as a satellite bus facility. It will support the growth of the Metro Transit bus fleet and expanded service.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway says this is the next critical step in advancing her MetroForward>> plan.

It’s just one of three projects in Wisconsin to get money from the Federal Transit Administration’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.

The City of Janesville will receive $800,000 to purchase new low floor, accessible transit buses to replace aging buses that have exceeded their useful life.

The new clean diesel buses will improve transit service and reliability for those who travel by transit throughout the city.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will receive $838,400 to replace transit vehicles that have exceeded their useful life.

The new vehicles will allow rural transit providers in the state to improve the state of good repair of their fleets, reduce operating and maintenance expenses, enhance safety and increase service reliability.