Local Governments Request $1.47 Billion in Transportation Grants

Wisconsin municipalities submitted $1.47 billion in transportation-grant requests to the Multimodal Local Supplement Program, underscoring the desperate state of Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure. 

The program allots $75 million in funding for local communities’ road, bridge, harbor, transit, bicycle-accommodation and railroad projects and will pay up to 90 percent of total eligible costs, with local governments providing the balance.

The City of Sturgeon Bay applied for $370,000 in funds to resurface Neenah Avenue, and Egg Harbor applied for $1.9 million to support improvements to Church Street, including curbs and gutters, parking spaces and bike lanes. 

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and stakeholder partners are reviewing the 1,596 eligible grant applications. 

“This process truly demonstrates the significant needs of the local system,” said WisDOT Secretary-designee Craig Thompson. “It’s pretty staggering when you see the actual number of projects and their dollar value.”

Applications under review include:

• 105 applications from counties, with a total project value of $225 million

• 461 applications from cities and villages, with a total project value of $674 million

• 1,030 applications from towns, with a total project value of $568 million

Three separate committees will score the applications. Projects will rate higher if they demonstrate economic impact, provide greater connectivity or demonstrate greater cost-effectiveness than other options. 

The committees are expected to meet at the end of January and then will forward their recommendations to the WisDOT secretary for approval. Recipients and award amounts are expected to be announced at the end of February.