GREENFIELD — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), recently announced nearly $50 million in state investments to help support 37 projects across 28 Wisconsin counties. 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.

This is the first round of funding awarded through the new Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), which was established by 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 and funded in the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers. Gov. Evers made the announcement while visiting the town of Greenfield, which received over $1.45 million through the first round of the program to improve local roads and infrastructure along Edgewater Road and Fireworks Avenue.

Among the roads to receive money are Ladwig Road in Green County and Gravel Run in Lafayette County. Ladwig Road in the Town of Sylvester will receive $323,241.30 toward its $359,157 project. Grave Run, in the Town of Fayette, will receive $207,000 toward its $230,000 project.

“Agriculture is a nearly $105 billion industry in our state, and our farmers, our producers, their families, and our rural communities have been the backbone of our state’s economy for generations. By helping ensure our agricultural industries can get product to market and crops or livestock from Point A to Point B and do so safely and efficiently, we’re continuing to support this critical part of our state’s economy and our proud agriculture tradition,” said Gov. Evers. “This stuff is as simple as making sure a farmer doesn’t have to drive 20 miles out of the way to avoid an aging road with weight limits — we can help fix that, and that’s what this program is all about. These investments and projects are going to be a big deal for rural communities across our state.” 

In June 2023, Gov. Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 to expand the Local Roads Improvement Program 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 ARIP to improve the transportation infrastructure that provides access to agricultural lands or facilities. ARIP funds up to 90% of total eligible project costs, with the remaining balance covered by the local project sponsor.  

More than 5.3 million tons of agricultural products, valued at $1.6 billion, are transported over these roads every year. A wide range of agricultural industries will benefit from these improvements, including forestry, dairy, animal, grain/feed, manure/fertilizer, ethanol, potato and other vegetable, cranberry, and other producers. These industries support more than 2,300 agriculture jobs in Wisconsin. A full list of award recipients is available online.   

“Thank you to all the stakeholders who encouraged local leaders to seek this funding. We had a strong pool of applicants, and the selected projects will help Wisconsin’s agriculture industries continue to grow long into the future,” said WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson. “We believe that a strong transportation network depends on the first and last mile, and we aren’t stopping here. We will continue this progress together.” 

“Wisconsin farmers, haulers, processors, and distributors work to provide food, fuel, and fiber to our state and beyond,” said Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski. “This investment in our infrastructure supports agriculture as products get from farm gate to dinner plate.” 

An additional application period for the remaining $100 million in ARIP funding will open later this summer. WisDOT will notify municipalities regarding the availability of application materials, the schedule of informational meetings, and other important dates and deadlines. WisDOT staff will also contact applicants who were not awarded to allow for the opportunity to easily advance their application for consideration in the next cycle. Projects awarded in round two are anticipated to be announced by the end of 2024. The awards are selected by a committee of 20 members from the agricultural sector, forestry/timber sector, and municipal groups.

To be eligible for funding, projects needed to meet the following criteria:  

●  The project highway, or the highway where the bridge or culvert is located is functionally classified by the department as a local road or minor collector. 

●  The highway, bridge, or culvert provides access to agricultural lands or facilities used to produce agricultural goods, including forest products.  

●  The highway, bridge, or culvert is used by at least one agricultural producer.  

●  The highway is designated as a class “B” highway due to structural deficiencies or is subject to a posted weight limitation at least annually.  

●  After the improvement, the highway will not be designated as a class “B” highway and will not be subject to a posted weight limitation other than under extraordinary or emergency circumstances.

More information about ARIP is available online.