Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), Friday announced that municipalities across the state have received more than $170 million in the third quarter of 2024 for “general transportation, connecting highway, and expressway policing aids.”

According to the release, “Evers has made fixing Wisconsin’s roads a top priority, and the Evers Administration has improved more than 7,400 miles of road and 1,780 bridges since 2019, including over 900 miles of road and over 200 bridges in 2023 alone.” 

Within the release, Evers was quoted as saying: “I am proud that these investments we made in the state budget are reaching our communities where they will make a real difference in people’s lives and livelihoods. These funds ensure that our cities, counties, towns, and villages can make needed improvements to local roads to build a reliable and efficient transportation system that meets the needs of a 21st-century workforce and economy.”

Additionally, within the release, WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson was quoted as saying: “We remain committed to making critical transportation investments in every corner of the state. Together with local leaders across Wisconsin, we are working to improve the first and last mile and deliver infrastructure improvements that enhance safety, strengthen our state’s economy, and enrich our quality of life.”

The release read: “For calendar year 2024, local governments will receive more than $536 million in general transportation aids financial assistance to support transportation-related projects, a 2% increase over calendar year 2023 allocations provided by the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Gov. Evers. The investments in the 2023-25 state budget resulted in the largest amount of funding for the program in the state’s history, and total funding for all local programs makes up almost one-third of the state transportation budget.”   

Third quarter payments, made July 1, totaled $171,100,518.52, according to the release, and included: 

• General transportation aids of $166,585,719.03 to local units of government; 

• Connecting highway aids of $4,258,824.49 to 116 eligible municipalities; and 

• Expressway policing aids of $255,975.00 to Milwaukee County.

The release noted that 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.

Expressway policing aids help the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department with the costs of patrolling expressways within the county.

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

In Walworth County, the city of Whitewater, among others, received aids, with a payment date of July 1, as follows: