MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), today announced that $69.5 million in grants were awarded through the latest round of the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP). Funding provided by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget will support 39 projects across 32 Wisconsin counties, focused on improving local rural roads, bridges, and culverts used by farmers and producers to transport agricultural and forestry products that support Wisconsin’s more than $116 billion agricultural industry statewide.
This latest cycle of funding brings the total number of projects funded by ARIP to 161 across 60 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. All told, more than 30 million tons of agricultural products, valued at $14.8 billion, are transported on ARIP-awarded roads each year.
“Here in America’s Dairyland, supporting our farmers, producers, and all of our agricultural industries is an essential part of our work, and that means ensuring that the local roads they use to transport their products are safe, reliable, and in good repair,” said Gov. Evers. “That work is as important as ever, and I am proud that since creating this program in 2023, we’ve helped repair rural roads in every corner of our state. This essential program has contributed greatly to improving and repairing important transportation infrastructure across the state, and we’re darn proud of it.”
Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, the state has improved more than 9,600 miles of roads and 2,400 bridges statewide since 2019, and he has been a steadfast advocate for Wisconsin’s farmers and producers, including ensuring they have the 21st-century infrastructure needed to get their product to market.
Gov. Evers created ARIP in 2023 by signing 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 and approving the 2023-25 Biennial Budget, which provided $150 million to support the program. The 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers continued support for this highly successful program with another $150 million investment, of which $30 million was targeted to improve and repair deteriorating culverts and small structures through the newly created Local Small Structures Improvement Program (LSSIP). In April, Gov. Evers and WisDOT announced nearly $50 million in grants were awarded across 29 counties through the first round of the latest ARIP funding, followed up by $30 million in funding through the LSSIP in July.
“Continuing to improve Wisconsin’s agricultural routes reaffirms the state’s commitment to supporting the industries which make up the backbone of our economy,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “Safe and efficient local roads, culverts, and bridges help ensure agricultural products get to market, grocery stores stay stocked, and the quality of life in our rural communities continues to improve.”
Authorized under the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) statute, ARIP is a reimbursement program, which may pay up to a maximum of 90 percent of total eligible project costs, with the balance of the eligible costs funded by the local government where the work is performed. To be eligible for funding, projects needed to meet the following criteria:
- The project highway, or the highway where the bridge or culvert is located, is functionally classified by the department as a local road or minor collector.
- The project is solely for the improvement of a bridge or culvert, if the bridge or culvert is 20 feet or less in length, and is not eligible for funding under a federal program that provides funding for bridge improvements.
- The highway, bridge, or culvert provides access to agricultural lands or facilities used to produce agricultural goods, including forest products, and is used by at least one agricultural producer.
- The highway or highways on which the bridge or culvert is located is designated as a class “B” highway due to structural deficiencies or is subject to a posted weight limitation at least one month during the previous year.
- After the improvement, the highway will not be designated as a class “B” highway and will not be subject to a posted weight limitation other than under extraordinary or emergency circumstances.
- The highway, bridge, or culvert is maintained by a political subdivision.
A full list of projects receiving ARIP grants, as well as more information about the program, can be found on WisDOT’s website.
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS IN THE 2025-27 BIENNIAL BUDGET TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT WISCONSIN FARMERS AND AGRICULTUREAfter years of neglect under the previous administration, Gov. Evers has made fixing Wisconsin’s roads and bridges and making sure the state’s infrastructure can meet the needs of a 21st-century workforce and economy a top priority. As noted above, since 2019, under his administration, the state has improved more than 9,600 miles of roads and 2,400 bridges statewide. In each of his biennial budgets, Gov. Evers has secured historic investments in Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure, and improving Wisconsin’s roads and bridges continued to be a priority for the governor in this budget.In addition to securing $150 million in funding for ARIP, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers provided over $1 billion in new funding for key transportation investments. This includes:
- Increasing General Transportation Aids (GTA) by three percent in both 2026 and 2027, which will provide municipalities with $33.2 million more over the biennium and counties with nearly $10 million over the biennium;
- A historic increase of nearly $333 million over the biennium in the state highway rehabilitation program;
- $100 million for the LRIP—Supplemental program component;
- $244.5 million to keep key projects, such as I-41 and I-39/90, on schedule;
- A 10 percent increase to paratransit aids, increasing funding by $687,600 over the biennium;
- Improving safety on Milwaukee County expressways with $38 million in expressway policing aids; and
- $50 million for the harbor assistance program, including $15 million for the Menominee Harbor Project and $20 million for the Port of Green Bay.
The 2025-27 Biennial Budget also improves ongoing transportation fund revenues by generating nearly $200 million in additional revenue to improve the sustainability of the transportation fund.
In addition to robust investments in transportation infrastructure statewide, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget invests in local communities to ensure that they are able to address the unique needs of their constituents and bolster local infrastructure, including:
- $50 million to fund building projects in local communities, providing grants to local governments and nonstate entities for local construction projects which serve a public, statewide purpose, such as clinics, arts centers and museums, public libraries, and more; and
- $14 million for local communities across the state through municipal service payments to ensure local communities have the resources they need to meet basic and unique needs alike.
Additionally, Gov. Evers, over the past seven years, has secured critical investments for farmers, producers, and their families, including supporting the state’s meat and dairy producers, investing in farmer mental health resources, and bolstering Wisconsin’s exports worldwide. Gov. Evers recognizes that Wisconsin’s more than $116 billion agricultural industry is as critical to the state economy as it is to Wisconsin’s heritage and culture, and ensuring its continued growth and success for generations to come will be critical to ensuring Wisconsin’s continued growth and success.
Building upon efforts of the Evers Administration to date to support Wisconsin’s agricultural industry and proud heritage as “America’s Dairyland,” the 2025-27 Biennial Budget provides:
- Ongoing funding for the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE) program to continue to support farmers and producers wanting to expand into new markets and increase output, and help Wisconsin navigate international markets for agriculture, forestry, and food products;
- Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, according to the WIAE, Wisconsin is currently ranked 10th in the nation for agricultural exports by state, up from 13th in 2021.
- $20 million to create a new state program designed to support dairy and agriculture resilience;
- $10 million to continue the Food Security Initiative, a program created by Gov. Evers that connects local nonprofit food assistance programs, such as food pantries, with local producers to keep shelves stocked;
- $3 million to continue the Tribal Elder Food Security program that helps Tribal elders access nutritious, culturally relevant food while supporting Wisconsin producers;
- $800,000 to increase the available funding for the successful Dairy Processor Grant Program;
- $1 million to bolster and support the Meat Processor Grant Program;
- Over $2.4 million over the biennium for the Meat Inspection Program to ensure meat products are produced safely and match nutrition labels;
- $200,000 to support farmers and their families’ mental health;
- $500,000 to increase funding for the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Program, which helps enable producers and producer-led groups to implement nonpoint source pollution abatement strategies to improve Wisconsin’s soil and water quality;
- $2 million to continue the commercial Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program, which aims to protect vital soil and water resources; and
- An additional $1.6 million to support the cover crop insurance program, which helps assist farmers with rebates of $5 per acre of a cover crop planted for crop insurance premiums paid on those acres.
