Members gathered this month at TDA's annual meeting for a fantastic event. It started with an update from Joel Nilsestuen, assistant deputy secretary at WisDOT, including a video message from newly appointed Transportation Secretary Kristina Boardman.

Brian Fraley, president of Edge Messaging, led a lively and insightful discussion with Joe Zepecki, founder of Zepecki Communications, about the upcoming elections, from polls to projections. 

An interesting and diverse panel highlighted projects from rural roads to passenger rail and the partnerships that move them forward. The segment was a testament to the event's theme, "Charting the Course," as the panelists showcased how stakeholders work together to improve Wisconsin’s economy one project or program at a time.

Thank you to the speakers, sponsors, and participants!

Click here to view presentations and event photos.

The evening before the Annual Meeting, TDA held a reception at Cooper's Tavern to honor Craig Thompson. Thompson received TDA's Transportation Service Award in recognition of his contributions to Wisconsin transportation over the last 30+ years at the Wisconsin Counties Association, TDA, and WisDOT. 

Scott Lawry was recently appointed the next WisDOT deputy secretary. He will oversee the department’s operations, which includes 3,200 employees, dozens of field offices, and a biennial budget of more than $8 billion.

Lawry started his career at WisDOT as an intern and joined the agency full-time in 1991. He has served in a variety of roles, including staff engineer, project manager, and supervisor. Most recently, he was deputy administrator of WisDOT’s Division of Transportation System Development, helping to manage the department’s infrastructure programs. 

He replaces Kristina Boardman, who was appointed to serve as WisDOT secretary in September.

Amtrak's new Borealis line hit a milestone last week: 100,000 passengers in its first 22 weeks of service. The line averages about 650 riders per day along the route between St. Paul and Chicago.

The 13-stop Borealis line launched on May 21 and includes eight stops in Wisconsin: La Crosse, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Columbus, Sturtevant, and two stops in Milwaukee (Downtown and General Mitchell Airport). Daily eastbound and westbound trains operate along the route, with service beginning from St. Paul at midday and from Chicago in the late morning.

Wisconsin recently learned of the following discretionary grant awards:

• Federal Aviation Administration Airport Terminal Program: Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport was awarded $8.5 million to fund Phase 1 of the construction of the new 400-person international terminal building, increasing capacity to handle more and larger aircraft and higher passenger counts.
• USDOT INFRA (the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects) Grant Program: WisDOT will receive $12.5 million to replace Rest Area 51 Maribel and Rest Area 52 Denmark facilities along I-43 in Manitowoc County, increasing the availability of safe truck parking facilities between Green Bay, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois.
• Federal Railroad Administration Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program: WisDOT received a $72.8 million rail grant for the Muskego Yard Bypass project, allowing for more frequent and reliable passenger trips, including between Milwaukee and Chicago, and boosting freight rail capacity.

The WisDOT interactive map of federal discretionary grants is available here.

The report from TRIP, Rural Connections: Examining the Safety, Connectivity, Condition and Funding Needs of America’s Rural Roads & Bridges, evaluates the safety and condition of rural roads and bridges across the US. The report finds an immediate need to address deficient roads and bridges, high crash rates, and inadequate connectivity and capacity at both the national and state levels.

In Wisconsin, eighteen percent of rural roads are in poor condition, the 13th highest rate in the nation. In addition, seven percent of the state's rural bridges are in poor/structurally deficient condition, meaning these structures have significant deterioration to the major components of the bridge and are often restricted to lower weight limits or are closed to certain types of traffic. 

Furthermore, the rate of traffic fatalities in 2022 on Wisconsin's rural roads was higher than the fatality rate on all other roads in the state, at a rate of 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel vs. 0.76.

TDA Wraps Transportation Roundtables

This month, TDA held four roundtables in La Crosse, Eau Claire, Mosinee, and the Green Bay area.

Lawmakers and candidates joined transportation stakeholders to discuss our progress and ongoing challenges as we work toward developing and maintaining a safe, modern, interconnected transportation network that keeps Wisconsin moving.

Some of the News Coverage

• ‘It’s a safety issue’: Transportation funding at center of La Crosse bipartisan roundtable, La Crosse Tribune, Oct. 10
• Transportation Roundtable addresses challenges in Wisconsin, WKBT News8000, Oct. 10
• Rural roads a big part of Transportation Roundtable, WXOW, Oct. 10
• Transportation experts meet at CWA to discuss successes and future plans, WFJW, Oct. 29

What a month! Twelve events/speaking engagements in October kept TDA staff hopping.

TDA kicked off the month with the Wisconsin Aviation Conference and closed the month with the last two of four TDA roundtables. In between, we held a reception honoring Craig Thompson, had our annual meeting, participated in the League of Women Voters webinar on the ASCE Report Card, roads and bridges category, and joined with MobiliSE and the Bike Fed for a Milwaukee roundtable on transportation options.

Debby Jackson also took the TDA message on the road to the Eau Claire Rotary, the Eau Claire Chamber's Eggs & Issues event, and the Northwest Regional Wisconsin County Highway Association Commissioner and Committee Member Meeting.

Jerry Deschane was elected the Transportation Development Association’s 48th president at the TDA Annual Business Meeting earlier this month. He will serve a one-year term.

Jerry is the executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. He joined the TDA board in 2014.

Other members of the 2024-25 TDA Executive Committee include:

• 1st Vice President: Robb Kahl, Construction Business Group/
• 2nd Vice President: Ron Chamberlain, SEH
• Secretary: Brandon Strand, Walbec Group
• Treasurer: Tim Peterson, James Peterson Sons, Inc.
• Past President: Jason Culotta, Midwest Food Products Association

Thanks to all for their service.

The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general farm organization representing farms of different sizes, commodities and management styles. 

Members belong to one of 61 county Farm Bureaus, run by a board of directors made up of people working in production agriculture. The Farm Bureau prides itself on being a grassroots organization. Each year, county voting members set the policy that guides WFBF on local, state, and national affairs.

Visit wfbf.com

TDA Events

• TDA Fly-in: Spring 2025; date TBD after the election

Thank You 2024 Organizational Sponsors

Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association is committed to supporting the next generation of transportation professionals.

Over the past eight years, WAPA has awarded dozens of scholarships to students pursuing a career in the transportation construction industry. 

This year, WAPA will award one Engineering Scholarship (worth $2,000) and one Engineering Technician Scholarship (worth $1,000). For both scholarships, students must complete the Online Application Form and email transcripts and letters of recommendation to WAPA at info@wispave.org by Friday, November 8.

Winners will be recognized during WAPA’s 65th Annual Conference and Business Meeting, which will take place from December 3-4 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells.

The 2025 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., is quickly approaching, and an exceptional event is again on tap. The Wisconsin Reception at TRB is a much-anticipated opportunity for Wisconsin transportation professionals to network during an informal reception.

Sunday, January 5, 2025

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Yard House

812 7th Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20001

Please consider sponsoring this event and help bring together our state's transportation professionals by providing a $1,000 contribution. If interested, please contact TDA's Luke Pearson for more information and to arrange sponsorship payment. Submit your company logo to Carlyn Ross at UW-Madison.

This event is being hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin.



WisDOT Annual Freight Railroad Conference

The 2024 Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Freight Railroad Conference will be on Tuesday, November 12, in Middleton.

Click here for more information and to register.

WAPA Annual Conference

The Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association (WAPA) 65th Annual Conference & Business Meeting will be December 3-4 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Event and registration information is here.

If you would like TDA to consider including your organization's update or event in an upcoming newsletter, please forward information to Luke Pearson at luke.pearson@tdawisconsin.org.