Transportation projects in Wisconsin may now be eligible for a piece of $75 million in one-time grant funds recently provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) for use by local and tribal governments.
WisDOT announced the necessary criteria for the Multimodal Local Supplement grant program last week, making the application materials available on its website. Selection will be made in part by local government committees and include stakeholder input and review. It is a competitive effort, so projects will be rated higher if they can demonstrate economic impact, provide greater connectivity, or show their plans have greater cost-effectiveness than others. Local units of government can apply for design and construction, or construction only, projects.
“The objective of this program is to provide local officials the flexibility and funding they need to address the transportation projects that are most needed in their communities,” Gov. Tony Evers said. “The MLS program allows counties, towns, villages, and cities to apply to fund multimodal projects that will provide significant economic impacts for their community.”
Different local entities have different requirements under the plan. For example, counties, cities, and villages must show minimum project costs of $250,000, while towns need only show a fraction of that — $50,000. Local governments will be reimbursed up to 90 percent of total eligible costs, with local sponsors paying the balance. All projects must be completed within six years of approval.
“Healthy town economies require contemporary infrastructure,” Mike Koles, executive director of the Wisconsin Towns Association, said. “The local supplement program will provide another step toward building the roads and bridges necessary for improved public safety and enhanced private sector success.”
Beyond the local distributions, the Multimodal Local Supplement will also provide 80 percent of the $2.2 million needed to make repairs on the Kaukauna Bridge lift bridge over the Fox River Lock System. The U.S. Coast Guard has ordered the bridge to be operational by May 2021.