On Thursday morning, Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDot) announced $174 million in state funding to complete just over 1,000 projects over the next five years.
The projects were selected based on the needs and recommendations of counties, municipalities, cities and agencies under the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP).
Added to this is the $200 million from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which will support over 150 projects to improve roads and bridges in Wisconsin.
“My administration has been committed to fixing these damn roads since day one, and I’m proud that together we’ve improved more than 7,400 miles of roads since 2019, including more than 3,700 miles of locally owned roads and 1,780 bridges across the state,” said Governor Evers. “This investment through our Local Roads Improvement Program builds on our work ensuring Wisconsin’s infrastructure is fit for the demands of the 21st century and will help improve severely deteriorated roads, trails and highways in our communities and the quality of life for people across our state.”
“We have a unique program where projects are led and managed by local agencies,” said Craig Thompson, WisDOT Secretary. “They drive these roads every day and know best what needs to be fixed and how to do it. We value our partnership with these communities and together we are building a transportation system for the next generation.”
The final Wisconsin state budget includes $4 million more for the LRIP and an additional $100 million in supplemental funding for county highways.
In addition, the LRIP also includes the newly created Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP). In June 2023, Governor Evers signed Wisconsin Act 13 to expand the LRIP to include agricultural road improvement projects by creating the ARIP. Weeks later, in July, Governor Evers signed the 2023-25 biennial budget, which allocated $150 million for the ARIP to improve transportation infrastructure that provides access to agricultural lands or facilities.
In July, Governor Evers and WisDOT announced nearly $50 million in state investments through the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP) to support 37 projects in 28 Wisconsin counties.