WisDOT awarded $15 million to reduce road congestion, improve safety

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is ready to get to work and apply the recently announced $15 million federal grant to modernize infrastructure, reduce congestion and improve community connectivity along I-41 in Milwaukee County. The investment comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program. It will allow WisDOT to make critical improvements to one of the busiest freeway corridors in Wisconsin, while staying within the existing corridor footprint.

“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because it is updating our crumbling infrastructure to keep Wisconsinites safe, strengthen our supply chain, and create good-paying jobs,” Senator Baldwin said. “I am proud to work with our state partners to bring home this funding to southeastern Wisconsin to ensure that drivers, bikers, and walkers can safely get where they need to go and our economy can run smoothly. I thank our state and local partners for their collaboration and look forward to seeing Wisconsin get put to work fixing our infrastructure and keeping Wisconsinites safe.”

The community on the east side of I-41 between Hampton Avenue and Silver Springs Drive approved the plan to reconstruct and build a new noise barrier for enhanced noise mitigation. This will improve the quality of life for the residents of the multi-family housing units located east of the interstate.

Other congestion and safety components addressed in this I-41 rehabilitation project include:

• Adding ramp-to-ramp connections between interchanges at the areas experiencing the worst congestion problems by giving drivers more space and time to merge safely
• Addressing deteriorating pavement and bridge conditions within the 4-mile corridor, adding decades of service life
• Applying High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) to several curves to enhance safety

“We’re glad to be receiving this strategic investment, made possible with the help of Senator Tammy Baldwin, to ensure our roads are safe, our communities and economy are connected, and to improve the quality of life for folks in Southeastern Wisconsin,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “We’re going to keep working at every level of government to build the 21^st century infrastructure Wisconsin needs to support a 21^st century workforce and economy.”

This section of I-41 was originally constructed in 1966 with major rehabilitation work done in 1982-85 and 2001. In 2015, a preventive maintenance project kept it in a state of good repair. This project will extend the expected safe functionality of the corridor with minimal disruption to the surrounding area and deliver it in a very cost-effective manner.

The RAISE program is one of several ways communities and institutions can secure funding for projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) competitive discretionary grant programs. RAISE is one of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s most competitive grant programs.

“Improving our state’s infrastructure is vital to our economy and quality of life and we’ll do what it takes to secure needed resources,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “We’re identifying all qualified funding opportunities and actively pursuing them. At the same time, we’re making our expertise available to help communities and local institutions improve their grant applications so they can tap into available funding. Together, we can build Wisconsin’s infrastructure for the next generation.”

WisDOT provides training and resources, including materials on funding opportunities suitable for Wisconsin applicants and information on the process, at wisconsindot.gov/bil.

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.