Announcement comes as Gov. Evers secures increased investments in the state’s General Transportation Aids and additional investments in local roads in 2025-27 Biennial Budget
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), today announced counties and municipalities across the state received more than $174 million for General Transportation, Connecting Highway, and Expressway Policing Aids to help repair, maintain, and improve local roads and highways in every corner of Wisconsin.
This announcement comes as earlier this month, Gov. Evers signed the 2025-27 Biennial Budget, which continues to invest in the state’s transportation infrastructure with $1.1 billion in new funding for key transportation investments, including increasing the state’s General Transportation Aids by three percent in each year of the biennium.
“Whether driving to work or school, heading to an appointment, or exploring one of our state’s natural wonders, local roads are the first and last mile of nearly everyone’s trip, so keeping local infrastructure in good repair is essential,” said Gov. Evers. “Over the past six years, we’ve made considerable progress to ensure our local communities have the 21st-century infrastructure needed to get folks from point A to point B safely and efficiently and keep our economy moving forward, and I was proud to sign a budget that continues to invest in the safe, efficient transportation system Wisconsinites deserve.”
For calendar year 2025, local governments will receive more than $540 million in General Transportation Aids financial assistance to support transportation-related projects. The 2023-25 budget signed by Gov. Evers provided a two percent increase for general transportation aids for municipalities and counties in both calendar years 2024 and 2025. 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.
The 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers continues this precedent with a three percent increase in the General Transportation Aids program in calendar years 2026 and 2027, which will provide municipalities with $33.2 million more over the biennium and counties with nearly $10 million over the biennium.
“We’re working hard to deliver on the governor’s promise of improved roads and quality infrastructure,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “Wisconsinites shouldn’t have to wonder if the road or bridge they’re driving on is safe. Thanks to increased transportation investment, our department’s commitment to fixing roads and maintaining bridges, along with the strong partnerships we have with local governments, infrastructure improvements can be felt in all corners of our state.”
The third quarter payments, made on July 7, 2025, totaled $174,432,218.18 and included: General Transportation Aids (GTA): $169,917,469.10 to local units of government;Connecting Highway Aids (CHA): $4,258,774.08 to eligible municipalities; andExpressway Policing Aids (EPA): $255,975.00 to Milwaukee County. 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 made in four installments on the first Monday in January, April, July, and October. County payments are made in three installments, with 25 percent of the total annual payment on the first Monday in January; 50 percent on the first Monday in July; and 25 percent on the first Monday in October.
A complete list of the third quarter aid payments is available here.
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS IN THE 2025-27 BIENNIAL BUDGET TO SUPPORT WISCONSIN’S TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
After 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 a 21st-century economy a top priority. Since 2019, under his administration, the state has improved more than 8,600 miles of roads and 2,000 bridges statewide. In fact, Wisconsinites could drive from Wausau, Wisconsin, to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and back three times on the number of miles of roads fixed. 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 the 2025-27 Biennial Budget.
In addition to securing a three percent increase in General Transportation Aids, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers includes: A historic increase of nearly $333 million over the biennium in the state highway rehabilitation program; $100 million for the Local Roads Improvement Program; Continuing support for the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program, created by Gov. Evers in the 2023-25 biennium, with a $150 million investment to continue repairing and improving Wisconsin’s rural roads to help farmers and producers and the state’s agricultural and forestry industries move products to market safely and efficiently, including $30 million specifically targeted to bridge and culvert repair;$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 $14 million through municipal service payments to ensure local communities have the resources they need to meet basic and unique needs alike.
An online version of this release is available here.
