WisDOT: Local governments receive $126 million in quarterly transportation aid

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) today announced that communities across the state received $126 million in transportation funding payments on January 4, the first quarterly payments for 2021.

For calendar year 2020, local governments received more than $505 million in general transportation aids (GTA) financial assistance to support transportation related projects; a 10 percent increase over calendar year 2019 allocations.

“These payments represent part of the cooperative work we do with local governments across the state to keep goods and services moving throughout Wisconsin,” WisDOT Secretary-designee Craig Thompson said. “We are committed to investing wisely and working hard together to come up with innovative, efficient transportation solutions.”

The local assistance increase is part of more than $465 million in new funding for transportation projects included in the 2019-2020 state budget, the largest dedication of new, ongoing revenue to the transportation fund in a generation. In addition to the 10 percent GTA increase, the budget included $320 million in new funding for the State Highway Rehabilitation program and provided $90 million in one-time funding for the Local Roads Improvement Program-Supplement grant program.

The first quarter payments to Wisconsin’s 1,922 villages, towns, cities, and counties included:

  • General Transportation Aids – $126,426,597.10 to all local governments
  • Connecting Highway Aids – $3,015,874.20 to 116 eligible municipalities
  • Supplemental Transportation Aids – $1,758,896.85 to 96 towns
  • Expressway Policing Aids – $255,975.00 to Milwaukee County

General Transportation Aids help cover the costs of constructing, maintaining, and operating roads and streets under local jurisdiction. Connecting Highway Aids reimburse municipalities for maintenance and traffic control of certain state highways within municipalities.

Quarterly payments for cities, towns and villages are sent the first Monday in January, April, July and October. County payments are made in three installments, with 25 percent of the total annual payment on the first Monday in January; 50 percent on the first Monday in July; and 25 percent on the first Monday in October.