President Biden will release details about his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure plan today in a speech in Pittsburgh. This emphasis on infrastructure will provide an excellent opportunity for Wisconsin to make progress on the documented backlog of transportation projects and needs. Please join us for this year’s TDA Fly-in on Friday, April 16, from 10 am to 11:30 am.

The event will center around a panel discussion with representatives from three organizations deeply involved in federal transportation policy and moving an infrastructure package forward in the next several months.

TDA Executive Director Debby Jackson will also moderate a discussion of Wisconsin priorities. We will end the event with a call to action to our delegation.

The TDA Fly-in’s distinguished panel includes:

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation moves forward the construction start date for 42 projects due to federal COVID relief funding approved in December of 2020. Ten projects advance into 2021, while 32 projects move into 2022.

“Wisconsin, like other states, experienced transportation revenue shortfalls as a result of the pandemic, and this helps put us back on course," said WisDOT Secretary-designee Craig Thompson.

In February, WisDOT submitted a plan to the Joint Finance Committee to address the projected $172 million deficit in the transportation fund and allocate additional federal funds. Wisconsin received $209 million more in federal funds than anticipated in the 2019-21 budget because of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and the annual federal redistribution process that reallocates unused money from other states. This federal funding offset pandemic-induced revenue shortfalls (net of miscellaneous revenues and savings) and provided a $25 million increase to both the State Highway Rehabilitation Program and the Local Road Improvement Program.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Bridge Report released last week shows Wisconsin has made some progress on bridge conditions. For the third year in a row, the number and percentage of structurally deficient bridges have declined. Of the state’s 14,271 bridges, 979, or 6.9 percent, are classified as structurally deficient, meaning one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition. Wisconsin still ranks in the top half of states regarding the number of structurally deficient bridges (#19), but the state has fallen to the bottom half for the percentage of structurally deficient bridges (#27). The state has identified more than 1,800 bridges in need of repair at an estimated cost of $1.6 billion.

For more news around the state, take a look at TDA's About TIME publication.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) are seeking public input on proposed intercity passenger rail service improvements for the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago corridor (TCMC) – a vital Midwest economic corridor. Comments are requested by April 9. 

In a recent On The Go podcast, TDA Executive Director Debby Jackson chats with Mark O’Connell, executive director of the Wisconsin Counties Association and TDA's current president. In a wide-ranging discussion, the two talk about managing through the COVID-19 pandemic, the short and long-term opportunities facing TDA and transportation, and much more.

In a second podcast, Jackson speaks with Women in Trucking Association President and CEO Ellen Voie. Voie explains how the organization encourages the employment of women in the trucking industry, promotes their accomplishments, and minimizes the obstacles they face. “Whether it’s driving, being a diesel mechanic, being a safety director, or even working in marketing or HR... there is a place here for any woman that wants to work in the industry," says Voie.

Listen to both podcasts here.

In her latest In Business Madison blog, TDA Executive Director Debby writes about life beyond the pandemic, her catch-up list, and the importance of transportation as Wisconsin recovers.