Wisconsin’s rail system has approximately 3,300 miles of track, 82% of which is owned and operated by 11 private railroad companies.  Thirty percent of freight by value is transported by rail
and freight movement by rail is expected to increase.  Expansion is expected in terms of existing services and new rail lines.  Join ASCE-WI and LWVWI at the February 20, 2025 webinar on Rail (B) from 12:00 to 1:30 pm.  

This is one webinar in a nine-part series looking at the state of all areas of infrastructure in Wisconsin.  Learn about the whole series: Back to the 2024 Report Card for Wisconsin's Infrastructure series page

Speaker Information 

Rail Chapter Author

Joanna Bush, PE
Traffic Engineer

Joanna Bush is a second-generation traffic engineer who has split her time equally between the public and private sector. Her first exposure to railroad preemption occurred in 2004 when she designed her first traffic signals with railroad preemption. Her enjoyment of railroad preemption design turned to passion when she joined the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in 2008 as the State Traffic Signal Systems Engineer as this provided her the mentor and opportunity to get further involved in railroad preemption work and beyond with WisDOT’s Bureau of Rails and Harbors. 

Joanna returned to the private sector in 2018 so that she would be able to assist the many local communities throughout Wisconsin that had traffic signals with railroad preemption. Joanna is now involved in Part 8 of the National Committee on the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a contributing member of ITE’s Grade Crossing Committee, leading an ITE Task Force on Roundabouts near Grade Crossing, assisting WisDOT as well as a handful of agencies outside of Wisconsin with their railroad preemption needs, and is teaching about joint annual inspections as part of the University of Wisconsin’s Interdisciplinary Professional Programs Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety course.

Additional Speakers

Scott Rogers
Vice President Governmental Affairs, Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce

Scott Rogers is Vice President Governmental Affairs for the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce.  He is responsible for its advocacy efforts, serving as the eyes and ears of the business community and representing its interests at all levels of government.

Scott is Wisconsin’s appointed private-sector representative on the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission and Chair of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition. He is a Commissioner on the Chippewa-St. Croix Rail Commission, which is studying an Eau Claire-Twin Cities regional passenger rail corridor under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program. He also serves on the City of Eau Claire Housing Opportunities Commission.

Before joining the Eau Claire Chamber staff in 2013, Scott was an active business member for more than a decade, serving on its Board of Directors, as Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and was Volunteer of the Year in 2012. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications from the University of Illinois – Urbana, and is a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organizational Management (IOM).

Scott and his wife, Shirley, travel by rail whenever possible. They enjoy taking the train to explore large and small cities across the U.S., especially those that are walkable and have good local transportation options.

Lisa Stern
Chief of Railroads and Harbors, WI Department of Transportation

Lisa Stern is the Chief or Railroad and Harbors for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.  She earned a B.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville in 1999 and became a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Wisconsin in 2006. She works with railroad, harbor, highway and safety projects, the preservation of publicly owned railroad property and passenger rail programs.  She has been with the Department since 2006 and has over 25 years of civil engineering experience in both private industry and state government.

Susan Gaeddert
Community Programs Director, 1000 Friends of WI

Susan Gaeddert (she/her) is Community Programs Director at 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, where she runs Active Wisconsin, facilitates the Community Transportation Academy, and serves as Coordinator for the Wisconsin Climate Table.

Susan graduated from UW-Madison with a Masters of Science in Urban/Regional Planning in 2020, where she specialized in transportation, land use, and recreational trail planning. Susan has experience working in the affordable housing sector, comprehensive plan development, and community engagement.

Susan came to urban planning after a long career in music performance (she studied Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Collaborative Piano at UW-Madison, where she earned a doctorate in 2007). In her previous career, she toured the state with Opera For The Young, taught classes at Edgewood College, performed with a number of musicians locally and around the country, and worked with students of all ages teaching piano and coaching singers and instrumentalists as a professional accompanist.

If Susan isn’t at work or at the piano, she can be found outside in the garden or exploring local trails. She is a long-time advocate for outdoor education and advanced learning opportunities in schools. Susan is also an avid knitter, and she keeps her hands busy making socks, hats, mittens, and sweaters to keep herself and her loved ones warm all year long.

With Special Student Speakers!

Madeline Connell	Austin Cooper