As our summer begins to wind down, so, eventually, does the flurry of road construction. The warmer months brought the perfect opportunity to repair and enhance our roads. Each year, the Department of Transportation completes 350 to 400 state highway projects – averaging $1.5 million each. In addition, WisDOT returns more than $500 million to local governments to help finance the operation and improvement of locally owned roads, streets, and bridges.

While the sight of construction zones and diversions might be a bit of an inconvenience, they’re necessary to maintain Wisconsin's strong economy. It's an important reminder of how critical the infrastructure is to make sure residents and visitors in our state can get to school, work, the grocery store, and travel destinations.

Republicans made investments in our state’s infrastructure by increasing funding by $1.5 billion for local roads, bridges, and other critical means of travel throughout Wisconsin. Our budget increases funding for local roads by $285 million, through general transportation aids, the local road improvement program, and a new agricultural road improvement program (ARIP).

The Agricultural Road Improvement Program will be used to upgrade local roads and bridges that serve as links between farmers, their fields, processing facilities, and the businesses that provide feed and supplies. As farmers continue to struggle with increased operating costs and a tight workforce, it’s important that we invest in the roads they use to make sure they can continue doing what they do best: feeding America.

The Republican plan also invested in transportation infrastructure such as bridges, harbors, airports, rail, and transit. We know these modes of transportation are critically important to moving goods and people throughout our state, and our investments will help bolster this important infrastructure.