Press Release: Gov. Evers, WisDOT Announce Over $152 Million in Quarterly Transportation Aid Payments to Improve Local Roads Statewide

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 10/05/2026 05:00 AM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 5, 2026
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers, WisDOT Announce Over $152 Million in Quarterly Transportation Aid Payments to Improve Local Roads Statewide
With latest payments, Evers Administration boasts more than $570 million paid to local governments in 2026 to support safer roads, highways, and local infrastructure
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), today announced that counties and municipalities across the state received more than $152 million in fourth-quarter payments for 2026 General Transportation, Connecting Highway, and Expressway Policing Aids to repair, maintain, and improve local roads and connecting highways. The funding was provided by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed into law by Gov. Evers last year, which resulted in the largest amount of funding for the General Transportation Aids (GTA) program in the state’s history. This closes out the final payments made for calendar year 2026, totaling an historic more than $570 million to local governments to support projects to improve or repair Wisconsin’s roads and highways and make them safer for drivers.

“When I took office, I made a promise to the people of Wisconsin to fix the darn roads, and as we deliver the final GTA payments of my administration, I’m proud to say that’s exactly what we did,” said Gov. Evers. “Over the last seven-plus years, we’ve improved more than 9,600 miles of road and more than 2,400 bridges statewide, ensuring Wisconsinites all across our state have the safe, reliable 21st-century infrastructure they need and deserve. Today, with the help of these historic investments, our roads, highways, bridges, and infrastructure all across our state are in a heckuva lot better place than they were eight years ago.”

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 economy a top priority. Since 2019, the Evers Administration has improved or repaired over 9,600 miles of road and over 2,400 bridges statewide.

The bipartisan 2025-27 Biennial Budget, signed by Gov. Evers last year, built upon this good work by continuing to invest in the state’s transportation infrastructure with $1.1 billion in new funding for key transportation investments, including increasing the state’s GTA program by three percent in each year of the biennium.

As noted above, for calendar year 2026, local governments will receive more than $570 million in GTA financial assistance to support transportation-related projects. All told, municipalities will receive $33.2 million more over Fiscal Years 2025-27, and counties will receive nearly $10 million more over Fiscal Years 2025-27. Total funding for all local programs makes up almost one-third of the state transportation budget.

“When we invest in our local roads, we’re not just investing in pavement and steel; we’re investing in the safety and mobility of everyone in our state,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “WisDOT is dedicated to making the first mile we drive when we embark on a trip, to the last mile we drive when we arrive at our destination, safe and efficient. We couldn’t be prouder of the impact the General Transportation Aids program has made on our local infrastructure.”

The fourth quarter payments, delivered on October 5, totaled $152,117,468.33 and included:  
  • General Transportation Aids (GTA): $142,602,691.98 to local units of government;
  • Connecting Highway Aids (CHA): $4,258,801.35 to 116 eligible municipalities; and
  • Expressway Policing Aids (EPA): $5,255,975.00 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 Office 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 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 fourth quarter aid payments is available on WisDOT’s website.

PREVIOUS EFFORTS BY THE EVERS ADMINISTRATION TO SUPPORT WISCONSIN’S TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The bipartisan 2025-27 Biennial Budget built upon the Evers Administration’s efforts to invest in the state’s transportation infrastructure with $1.1 billion in new funding for key transportation investments, including increasing the state’s GTA program by three percent in each year of the biennium. Additionally, the 2025-27 state budget provided historic funding for the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP), including an over $100 million supplemental investment and continued support for the highly successful Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) with another $150 million investment. Of this $150 million investment, $30 million will be targeted to improve and repair deteriorating culverts and small structures through the Local Small Structures Improvement Program.

In addition to securing $100 million in supplemental funding for LRIP, a $150 million investment in the successful ARIP program, and a three percent increase to the state’s GTA program each year of the biennium, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers included:

  • A historic increase of nearly $333 million over the biennium in the state highway rehabilitation program;
  • $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.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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