MADISON — The Wisconsin Transportation Projects Commission (TPC) last week voted to advance two major highway projects that offer significant safety improvements along heavily used freight corridors critical to agricultural economies.
The projects — along U.S. 18/151 from Madison to Dodgeville and U.S. 151 from Columbus to Waupun — received unanimous votes from the bipartisan commission and will move closer to inclusion in the state budget.
“When we restarted the TPC in 2019, we brought back a tradition of bipartisan cooperation to plan major highway projects. Safe, reliable infrastructure connects the dots for Wisconsin’s economy and workforce,” Governor Tony Evers said. “The bipartisan votes in favor of these two projects shows our shared interest in improving our roads.”
“Converting expressways to freeways is a proven way of increasing safety and efficiency,” Secretary Craig Thompson said. “These routes currently have significantly higher crash rates than the statewide average and removing their at-grade crossings in favor of interchanges is a wise decision.”
In October, David Konig, 74, Monroe, was killed in a crash at the intersection of U.S. 18/151 and County Y between Dodgeville and Ridgeway in Iowa County. It was the first of two fatal accidents that day at the intersection. At of the time of the accident, there had been 34 crashes at the site in just the past three years, according to the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office.
The move came the same day a 4-way stop was installed at the intersection of Wis. 11/81 and County GG in Spring Grove Township in Green County, just southwest of Brodhead. That intersection has seen four fatal accidents — including six total deaths — since 2020.
U.S. 151 project candidates that go before the TPC undergo an extensive evaluation that considers a project’s potential to enhance economic development, relieve traffic congestion, improve safety and achieve community objectives while minimizing environmental impacts. To move forward, candidate projects must also undergo an environmental review process.
The TPC is a commission chaired by the Governor that includes five state senators, five assembly representatives and three citizen members who review, approve, and make recommendations regarding Major Highway Projects in Wisconsin. Governor Evers restarted the TPC in 2019 after it had been dormant since 2014.
Materials from the meeting and more information about the TPC can be found at https://wisconsindot.gov/.