Gov. Evers, WisDOT Celebrate Unveiling of New Lac du Flambeau Dual-Language Highway Signs

LAC DU FLAMBEAU — Gov. Tony Evers, together with Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians President John Johnson Sr. and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary Kristina Boardman, today celebrated the newest set of dual-language highway signs unveiled for placement on state highways as part of WisDOT’s Dual-Language Sign Program. The new signs identify Lac du Flambeau’s Tribal boundaries and four lakes in both the Ojibwe and English languages.

This announcement comes as earlier this month, Gov. Evers signed the 2025-27 Biennial Budget, in which he used his broad constitutional veto authority to ensure that all 11 federally recognized Tribes will receive $1 million each year for the next two years to help support Tribal programs and language revitalization efforts.

“Any chance we get to incorporate Ojibwe Language to our daily lives, and something we see each day, helps our people relearn the language and adds to our sovereignty,” said President Johnson. “It’s a good day for our people when we are recognized and acknowledged by the State. I wish some of our elders who walked on were here to see this effort, as they would be proud of this day.”

“I’m proud to stand with the Lac du Flambeau Band as we unveil these new signs and celebrate the culture, heritage, and language of the Ojibwe people,” said Gov. Evers. “The Dual-Language Sign Program has been a big part of our ongoing efforts to help bolster Indigenous language and cultural preservation, and today’s highway sign unveiling is further testament to our work as a state to strengthen our government-to-government relationships with the Native Nations in Wisconsin. Together, we are fostering a stronger sense of connection, informing visitors of our shared history, and celebrating Tribal heritage.”

The sign unveiling took place earlier today at the Waaswaaganing Indian Bowl in Lac du Flambeau and expands on a statewide dual-language sign initiative launched by WisDOT in 2021 to collaborate with Native Nations in Wisconsin to install road signs on Tribal lands in both English and Indigenous languages. The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians is the seventh Tribe in Wisconsin to install dual-language signs, along with the Forest County Potawatomi Community, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Nation, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

“We are delighted to coordinate on these dual-language signs with the Lac du Flambeau Tribe,” said WisDOT Secretary Boardman. “Today’s ceremony helps enrich our partnerships, which are deeper than putting up highway signs. We are sharing a greater awareness of and appreciation for the Lac du Flambeau Tribe’s language, heritage, and land. We’re proud of the longstanding commitment to foster meaningful partnerships focused on our future by providing great care and consideration to our past.”

The new Tribal boundary signs feature the Lac du Flambeau Tribal seal next to the Indian Reservation name, “Waaswaaganing.” Waaswaaganing is the traditional name for the reservation, which means “Lake of the Torch.” The English translation of the highway sign is located beneath the Indigenous language.

Wisconsin is home to 12 Native Nations, including the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Forest County Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Nation, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians, and Brothertown Indian Nation. Federally recognized Tribes are invited to learn more about the dual-language sign program and apply at the WisDOT website here.

ADDITIONAL EFFORTS BY THE EVERS ADMINISTRATION TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE STATEWIDE

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.

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.

Gov. Evers also exercised his broad, constitutional veto authority to partially veto aspects of the budget that were outside of the bipartisan budget negotiations. Highlights of the 2025-27 Biennial Budget and Gov. Evers’ line-item vetoes are available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.