HIGH-LEVEL HIGHLIGHTS

• $397 million increase in state highway rehab funding (largest increase in program’s history)
• $419 million new revenue, generated by title fee increases and sales tax on car parts
• Provides funding to start I-94 East-West, I-39/90/94 from Madison to Dells, and continue progress on I-41 in Fox Valley

Nearly $420 million in new Transportation revenue and double-digit increases to the State Highway Rehabilitation, Majors, and Southeast Mega programs show a strong commitment to the work WTBA members as a whole do every day.

Gov. Tony Evers unveiled those elements and more in his 2025-27 state budget proposal following his speech Tuesday night.

The revenue increase comes through a combination of increasing fees on vehicle titling and drivers license renewals while also capturing the sales tax on automotive parts.  Evers’ budget proposal also calls for borrowing about $630 million to support Major and Southeast Mega projects and the state’s highway rehabilitation program.

“This is a strong starting position as the Legislature begins its own work on the budget,” WTBA Executive Director Steve Baas said.

STATE HIGHWAY REHAB

Proposed: $2,629,383,700 | Current: $2,232,369,600 | Increase: 18%

The governor’s proposed budget includes a $397 million increase for the program that resurfaces, rehabilitates and reconstructs state highways in all 72 counties.  

This increase includes $65 million in proposed Transportation Revenue Bonds for the program.  It also requires WisDOT to allocate $19.5 million during the biennium for the construction of sound barriers on I-894 between 27th and 76th streets in Milwaukee County.

The two projects would join the ongoing 23-mile expansion of I-41 between Appleton and DePere and US-51 from McFarland to Stoughton as the primary future Major projects.

SOUTHEAST MEGAPROJECTS

Proposed: $300,665,900 | Current: $238,160,800 | Increase: 26%

Slightly more than $300 million is included for the first installment of funding for the long-awaited reconstruction of the I-94 East-West Corridor running past American Family Field in Milwaukee.

The first letting for this project is scheduled for September 2025.  The project will require significant funding in at least the next two state budgets.

In his “Budget in Brief,” Gov. Evers wrote, “this budget uses borrowing in the way it is intended – to build generational transportation projects in a timely fashion.”

Indeed, the governor’s proposed plans would support hefty funding increases to state highway rehab (18%), Southeast Megas (26%), and the state’s Majors programs (34%).

Below, you can see the breakdown of how the governor would spread increased bonding authority across the Transportation Department.

Cranberry Interchange Project: Replace two structures on I-94 eastbound at the Tomah interchange.  The first structure spans the I-90 eastbound ramp to I-94 westbound.  The second structure spans I-90 westbound.  No additional roadway work is planned as part of this project except as necessary to accommodate the bridge replacements.

I-94 Rock/Crawfish Bridges Project: Replace two structures carrying I-94 over the Crawfish River and two structures carrying I-94 over the Rock River.  The project anticipates raising the bridges to provide clearance above the 100-year flood even level;  reconstruct the approach roadway and the roadway segment between the two bridges;  and anticipates a grade raise up to approximately 1.5 feet for I-94 eastbound and 4.5 feet for I-94 westbound.  The approximate length of Interstate reconstruction is four miles.

USH 51/STH 29 Marathon County Project:  Pavement repair on the mainline roadway and multiple bridges.  The Highway 29 work will extend from the Little Rib River Bridge to the Wisconsin River Bridge.  The work on US 51 will extend from Foxglove Road to Bridge Street in Wausau.

The LRIP-Supplement program would receive $100 million from the state’s General Fund and the ARIP would receive $50 million – with $25 million from the General Fund and $25 million from the forestry account of the conservation fund.

Additionally, the budget would authorize up to 10% of LRIP-Supplement and ARIP funding over the biennium be used for emergency repairs to local bridges and culverts as part of the ongoing inventory and inspection of local structures less than 20 feet that was approved in the current state budget.  

That process has identified as many as 19,000 structures on the local system that are not eligible for federal funding.

The budget also earmarks $6 million from the LRIP-Supplement Program for improvements to the I-39/90/94 interchange with CTH V in Dane County.

“We appreciate Governor Evers’ ongoing commitment to sufficient, sustainable transportation funding and look forward to working with the Legislature to build on the solid foundation the Governor has laid out in his budget,”

CLICK TO READ WTBA's BUDGET NEWS RELEASE

WTBA’s Weekly Update newsletter this Friday will detail what comes next and how you can get involved in supporting the state budget process.