State announces $174M for “fixing the darn roads”

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Cities, counties and towns will get around $174 million in state funding for local road construction and maintenance projects.

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced the sum would bring more than 1,000 local road improvement projects over the finish line in the next five years.

The funding is part of the governor’s goal of “fixing the darn roads.”

“My administration has been committed to fixing the darn roads since Day One, and together, I’m proud we have improved more than 7,400 miles of road since 2019, including more than 3,700 miles of locally owned road and 1,780 bridges across the state,” Evers said in a statement.

“This investment through our Local Roads Improvement Program builds upon our work making sure Wisconsin’s infrastructure is ready to meet the demands of the 21st Century and will help improve seriously deteriorating roads, streets, and highways in our local communities and the quality of life for folks across our state,” he added.

1,003 projects were selected to receive funding from WisDOT‘s Local Roads Improvement Program, governor’s officials said. The 2023-25 biennial budget had a $4 million increase for LRIP, a four percent increase each year of the biennium. There was also a $100 million increase for supplemental funds to improve county trunk highways, town roads and municipal streets.

WisDOT works with Wisconsin’s communities by covering a percentage of total project costs, with the balance funded by local governments, officials said. The state reimburses projects through three formulas: discretionary, supplemental and entitlement funds.

Here’s the breakdown of funding in this cycle.

• Counties (Highways)
  • $17.11 million in entitlement funding for 80 projects
  • $12.43 million discretionary funding for 45 projects
  • $35.55 million in supplemental funding for 72 projects
• Towns (Roads)
  • $10.01 million in entitlement funding for 386 projects
  • $15.34 million in discretionary funding for 47 projects
  • $39.12 million in supplemental funding for 81 projects
• Cities and villages (Municipal streets)
  • $8.78 million in entitlement funding for 225 projects
  • $8.86 million in discretionary funding for 26 projects
  • $26.96 million in supplemental funding for 41 projects.

Municipal and county projects that cost up to $250,000 or more can apply for 50% funding in discretional funding or up to 90% in supplemental funding, according to governor’s officials. For town projects, eligible costs need to be more than $100,000.

The projects are led by local leaders because they use the roads daily and are in the best position to know what needs to be fixed, said Craig Thompson, the state transportation secretary.

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“We have a unique program in which projects are led and handled by local governments,” Thompson said. “They drive these roads every day and are in the best position to know what needs to get fixed and how to get it done. We value our partnership with these communities and, together, we are building a transportation system for the next generation,” he added.

On Thursday, Evers said around $200 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law would go to more than 150 road and bridge projects across the state. The next day, the state government announced $170 million in quarterly aid payments for transportation and highway policing.

In July 2024, Evers’ office announced $50 million to improve the state’s agricultural roads. The Agricultural Roads Improvement program was created in 2023 through the local roads program.