MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, along with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), recently announced approximately $174 million in state funding will help local communities across the state complete more than 1,000 local road improvement projects over the next five years. The news comes as Gov. Evers yesterday announced about $200 million from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will support more than 150 projects to improve local roads and bridges across Wisconsin.

“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,” said Gov. Evers. “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.”

A total of 1,003 projects were selected to receive funding through WisDOT’s Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) based on recommendations from county, municipal, and town officials who determine which roads have the greatest need for improvement in their communities.

“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.”

The final 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers provided an increase of more than $4 million for LRIP, providing a four percent increase each year of the biennium. In addition, 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.  

Additionally, LRIP also includes the newly created Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP). In June 2023, Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 to expand the LRIP to include agricultural road improvement projects by creating the ARIP. Weeks later, in July 2023, Gov. Evers signed the 2023-25 biennial budget, which provided $150 million for the ARIP to improve transportation infrastructure that provides access to agricultural lands or facilities. Last month, Gov. Evers and WisDOT announced nearly $50 million in state investments through the ARIP to help support 37 projects across 28 Wisconsin counties. Gov. Evers has spent the last two weeks visiting recipients who received grants through the first round of the program, highlighting how the projects are aimed at helping support Wisconsin’s farmers, producers, and agricultural industries by improving rural roads and bridges that are critical to moving and transporting products, crops, and livestock, among others, efficiently and effectively across the state.  

Through LRIP, WisDOT works with Wisconsin’s communities by reimbursing a percentage of the total eligible project costs, with the balance funded by the local unit of government. This formula funding helps communities fund road repairs and improvements through three key disbursements: discretionary funds, supplemental funds, and entitlement funds.   

County and municipal projects with $250,000 or more in total eligible costs could apply for up to 50 percent state funding under the Discretionary component (LRIP-D) and up to 90 percent under the Supplemental component (LRIP-S). For town projects, eligible costs needed to exceed $100,000. A list of LRIP Discretionary and Supplemental projects can be found on the WisDOT website.