Miles SmithThe Wisconsin Department of Transportation will spend $174 million in state funding on local road improvement projects over the next five years
The state’s final 2023-25 biennial budget provided an increase of more than $4 million for WisDOT’s Local Roads Improvement Program, providing a 4% increase each year of the biennium. The final budget also included an additional $100 million for supplemental funds to be allocated for county trunk highway improvements, town road improvements, and municipal street improvements through LRIP.
LRIP also includes the newly created Agricultural Roads Improvement Program, which involves distributing nearly $50 million in state grants to support 37 projects across 28 counties.
LRIP projects receive funding based on recommendations from county, municipal, and town officials who determine which roads have the greatest need for improvement in their communities.
Through the LRIP program, WisDOT works with Wisconsin’s communities by reimbursing up to 50% of the total eligible project costs, with the balance funded by the local government awarded the grant. The formula funding helps communities fund road repairs and improvements through discretionary, supplemental and entitlement funds.
“We have a unique program in which projects are led and handled by local governments,” said WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson. “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.”
Wisconsin will also administer $200 million in federal funding for 150 local road and bridge improvement projects through 2029 via the state’s Surface Transportation Program. About $93 million of that will go toward local bridge projects, with $65 million being allocated for rural roadways and the balance going to urban and local road projects.
Photo by Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash
