Gov. Tony Evers this week announced that 152 communities in his state of Wisconsin will receive grant awards from the Multimodal Local Supplement (MLS), the one-time $75 million funding program for local transportation projects.
Statewide, 84 towns, 34 cities and villages, and 34 counties will receive funding from the program. The projects funded will improve the safety, connectivity, and economic growth of each community.
“Communities from as far north as the town of Port Wing, and as far south as the village of Cassville and the county of Kenosha will be receiving funding for transportation projects that local community leaders prioritized," Gov. Evers said in a statement.
The program was designed to allow communities to prioritize their transportation needs and submit projects ranging from roads and bridges, to harbors and railroads, to transit equipment and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
More than 1,600 applications were received, largely for road projects. Local government officials attributed the large number of applications both to the need and to the streamlined application design of the MLS program.
In January and February, three separate committees comprised of local representatives from counties, towns, cities, and villages, met to review the applications. While the program allowed up to 90% state funding to any project, the committees chose to increase the local match in order to spread the funds as widely as possible. As a result, 152 projects were funded in all regions of the state.
Work is expected to begin soon on many of the selected projects.
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SOURCE: Wisconsin DOT
