8. Hyper-connected cities, and an optional "What Else"
What we chose: the same simple pattern for two more links, every day and fare-free from the city side. Both are a planned next step, Phase 9 / proposed.
- Phase 9 / proposed: Plymouth and Fond du Lac (WI-23), 3 round trips a day, connecting to Fond du Lac's city buses and intercity buses to Oshkosh, Appleton, Madison and Wausau.
- Phase 9 / proposed: Manitowoc (I-43), 3 round trips a day, serving the largest commuter flow from outside the county, with an optional stretch to Green Bay and its airport.
We also kept a list of bold, optional add-ons: a direct Milwaukee express, a Madison connection, Road America race-day shuttles, Door County weekend runs, timed connections to the SS Badger ferry, a lakefront summer trolley, and an early-bird airport run.
What else we considered: putting everything in the core plan at once.
Why: the job data shows strong daily flows to Plymouth, Fond du Lac and Manitowoc. Those links turn Sheboygan from an island into the hub of a lakeshore web. The add-ons are good ideas, but none is needed to make the core network work. Keeping them optional lets the community choose as money and partners appear, without slowing down the basics.
From an island to the hub of a lakeshore web.