U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed an agreement July 29 providing $46.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for work to continue on the state's high-speed rail program.

The funding is the latest installment from the $822 million that President Obama announced for Wisconsin high-speed rail from the Recovery Act in January.

Wisconsin previously received a $5.7 million Recovery Act grant that brings their high-speed rail total to $52.2 million. Nationally, an unprecedented $8 billion down payment for the creation of a national network of interconnected high-speed rail corridors was included in the Recovery Act.

Under the grant agreement, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will complete preliminary engineering and final design work, conduct program management activities and complete environmental management plans for the Milwaukee to Madison high-speed rail corridor that will operate at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour.

The previous grant obligation of $5.7 million is currently funding environmental assessments of planned new stations between Milwaukee and Madison.