Story updated August 18, 2020
On March 4, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) awarded 152 project grants under the one-time $75 million Multimodal Local Supplement (MLS) grant program.
WisDOT received 1,596 eligible applications for the MLS program, with the needs detailed in the applications totaling $1.47 billion.
It is truly excellent news that 152 projects will receive funding through the MLS grant program. After decades of disinvestment, communities face a backlog of projects vital to their local economies and few options to fund them. Unfortunately, more than 1,400 local projects are left with an uncertain path forward.
In the Northeast region, while 32 projects received grants totaling more than $14.7 million, there are 279 projects with a price tag of more than $266 million that remain unaddressed.
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August 18, 2020 update
On July 10, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the partial veto that created the Multimodal Local Supplement grant program. Of the projects awarded MLS grants, 137 (including the Kaukauna Bridge and excluding projects where communities decided not to proceed) have been approved through the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP). The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is working with the communities of 12 projects that did not fit within the parameters of LRIP to find possible alternative funding.
The final list of projects for the Northeast region is available here.