In Tripoli visit, Evers highlights state investment to improve County Hwy. YY

By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Editor

TRIPOLI – Governor Tony Evers visited Tripoli in Lincoln County last week to highlight the investment of state funds into improving a county road.

On Thursday, July 25, Evers and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Assistant Deputy Secretary Joel Nilsestuen made a stop on County Hwy. YY at the intersections of Squaw Creek Rd. and Lost Ave., where they discussed the roughly $3.5 million allocated to Lincoln and Price counties to revamp the county road.

Joining Evers and Nilsestuen in Tripoli last week were Lincoln County Highway Commissioner Jason Lemmer, Price County Highway Commissioner Roger Petrick and James Hoppe, Manager of Timber and Forestry at the Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) mill in Tomahawk.

Evers’ visit to the small Lincoln County community came one day after the governor and WisDOT announced more than $50 million in state investments to help support 37 projects across 28 counties.

A Wednesday, July 24 release from Evers’ office said the projects, including the one focused on County Hwy. YY, are “aimed at helping support Wisconsin’s farmers, producers and agricultural industries by improving rural roads and bridges that are critical to moving and transporting products, crops and livestock, among others, efficiently and effectively across the state.”

The release said this marks the first round of funding awarded through the new Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), which was established by 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 and funded in the 2023-25 biennial budget signed by Evers. 

In June 2023, Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 to expand the Local Roads Improvement Program to include agricultural road improvement projects by creating ARIP. The following month, Evers signed the 2023-25 biennial budget, which provided $150 million for ARIP to improve the transportation infrastructure that provides access to agricultural lands or facilities.

ARIP funds up to 90% of total eligible project costs, with the remaining balance covered by the local project sponsor, according to the release.

“More than 5.3 million tons of agricultural products, valued at $1.6 billion, are transported over these roads every year,” the release stated. “A wide range of agricultural industries will benefit from these improvements, including forestry, dairy, animal, grain/feed, manure/fertilizer, ethanol, potato and other vegetable, cranberry and other producers. These industries support more than 2,300 agriculture jobs in Wisconsin.”

Lincoln, Price County Highway Commissioners talk County Hwy. YY project

The County Hwy. YY project is estimated to cost $3,964,970.00, according to data from Evers’ office. A total of $3,568,473.00 will come from ARIP, covering 90% of the project’s total cost. Lincoln and Price Counties will split the remaining cost.

With the centerline of County Hwy. YY serving as the Price-Lincoln County line, Lemmer and Petrick collaborated to secure the funding investment.

Petrick explained that County Hwy. YY provides a route for logging trucks to travel to and from PCA, reducing the impact on the City of Tomahawk’s infrastructure. The county road also connects U.S. Hwy. 8 and State Hwy. 86, saving trucks mileage.

Because of its heavy utilization by the timber industry, County Hwy. YY met ARIP’s criteria.

The project will see base and four inches of asphalt added to the county highway. The road will be widened, signage will be updated, and improvements to drainage structures and guardrails are anticipated.

Once the project is complete, County Rd. YY will no longer need to be posted for weight limits, Petrick noted.

Petrick and Lemmer didn’t have a specific timeline for when work will begin, but Lemmer said the hope is that the project will get underway within two years.

“We’re excited to get it done,” Lemmer stated. “We’d like to get it done as soon as possible.”

“When it comes to additional funds for road building, counties are more than happy to take any money that comes, because our roadway budgets are pretty small,” Petrick said. “Four million dollars is a big bonus. I mean, you can get a lot of damage done with four million dollars.”

Tripoli residents react to governor’s visit

Harry Perry, who’s lived on Squaw Creek Rd. off County Hwy. YY with his wife, Terry, for about 18 years, said heavy traffic by logging trucks has had a negative impact on County Hwy. YY, but he commended the Lincoln and Price County Highway Departments for their maintenance of the road.

“They do a great job for us, and we’ve been very happy,” Perry stated. “As a matter of fact, at Christmas time, we bring them some goodies, too. So, we appreciate what they do for us.”

Perry reacted like most Northwoods residents likely would when he heard the governor was coming to a small community like Tripoli – specifically, to Squaw Creek Rd.

“I thought they were pulling my leg,” Perry quipped, adding that when he shared the news with Terry, she didn’t believe him at first. But, despite the original bout of disbelief, both Harry and Terry were on hand when Evers arrived.

Evers highlights local, statewide ARIP impacts

Evers said the ARIP investments were supported by both Democrats and Republicans in the State Legislature.

“It shows that if we work together, we can get things done,” he stated.

The governor called the County Hwy. YY project a “great project” and noted that small municipalities and governmental units, such as Lincoln and Price counties, don’t have the financial means to take on projects like improving County Hwy. YY to such an extent, which is where ARIP comes in.

“We’re hearing good stories about things that are going to be improved safety-wise,” Evers stated in reference to other projects being backed by the program. “It was just a really good bill.”

More information on ARIP

The application period for the first round of ARIP funding opened in February and closed in April. A committee made up of members from the agricultural and forestry/timber sectors and municipal groups reviewed submitted applications in the following months before last week’s announcement of the funding recipients.

The release said an additional application period for the remaining $100 million in ARIP funding will open later this summer. WisDOT will notify municipalities regarding the availability of application materials, the schedule of informational meetings and other important dates and deadlines.

WisDOT staff will also contact applicants who were not awarded to allow for the opportunity to easily advance their application for consideration in the next cycle, according to the release.

Projects awarded in round two are anticipated to be announced by the end of the year. The awards will be selected by the committee that approved the first round of funding.

To be eligible for funding, projects must to meet the following criteria:

• The project highway, or the highway where the bridge or culvert is located, is functionally classified by the department as a local road or minor collector.
• The highway, bridge or culvert provides access to agricultural lands or facilities used to produce agricultural goods, including forest products. 
• The highway, bridge or culvert is used by at least one agricultural producer. 
• The highway is designated as a class “B” highway due to structural deficiencies or is subject to a posted weight limitation at least annually. 
• After the improvement, the highway will not be designated as a class “B” highway and will not be subject to a posted weight limitation other than under extraordinary or emergency circumstances.

“Agriculture is a nearly $105 billion industry in our state, and our farmers, our producers, their families, and our rural communities have been the backbone of our state’s economy for generations,” Evers stated in the release. “By helping ensure our agricultural industries can get product to market and crops or livestock from Point A to Point B and do so safely and efficiently, we’re continuing to support this critical part of our state’s economy and our proud agriculture tradition. This stuff is as simple as making sure a farmer doesn’t have to drive 20 miles out of the way to avoid an aging road with weight limits – we can help fix that, and that’s what this program is all about. These investments and projects are going to be a big deal for rural communities across our state.”

“Thank you to all the stakeholders who encouraged local leaders to seek this funding,” said WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson. “We had a strong pool of applicants, and the selected projects will help Wisconsin’s agriculture industries continue to grow long into the future. We believe that a strong transportation network depends on the first and last mile, and we aren’t stopping here. We will continue this progress together.”

“Wisconsin farmers, haulers, processors and distributors work to provide food, fuel and fiber to our state and beyond,” said Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski. “This investment in our infrastructure supports agriculture as products get from farm gate to dinner plate.”

More information about ARIP is available at www.tinyurl.com/5yth8727.

A full list of award recipients is available at www.tinyurl.com/y6fzyzyp.