Archives for February 2025

Zignego takes reins as new WTBA Board president, focused on fixing funding shortfall

February 27, 2025 by Lane Kimble

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — WTBA’s new Board of Directors president is clearly motivated, driven, and focused.

To Dan Zignego, this year is all about working together to fix a more than $1 billion shortfall in Wisconsin’s transportation fund.

“If we let ourselves get distracted from our goal, we will not achieve it,” Zignego told the crowd gathered in a beautiful ballroom to close out the 2025 Annual Convention.

“Great things are not accomplished by distracted people. We must stay focused on our goal.”

Still, the night couldn’t close without a few fun distractions.

Zignego, who is president of Zignego Company, turned 40 this week, which led to the crowd serenading him with a round of “Happy Birthday” at Past President Brian Endres’ request.

The often stoic Zignego let a small smile appear as he stood to thank the singers.

“They say you don’t ever want to meet your heroes. I disagree,” Zignego said. “One of the most amazing privileges of working in this industry has been having so many amazing people, the people in this room, to look up to, to learn from and to watch grow as people, as leaders and as inspiration.”

The banquet also celebrated outgoing board members Park Allison from Aring Equipment, Taylor Tauer from Northeast Asphalt, and the soon-to-be retired Burt Naumann who is leaving GRAEF after nearly 50 years.

The conclusion of the convention–and the changing of the guard from Endres to Zignego–comes as Wisconsin’s winter thaws, a busy construction season is fast approaching, and lawmakers begin crafting the state budget.

Time to get to work.

“This isn’t an easy fight nor a short one, but the hardest things in life make us the best that we can be. If we choose to aggressively attack this campaign and stay undistracted, we will be successful,” Zignego said.

Scholarship Auction surpasses 2024 total for new record-setting night

February 26, 2025 by Lane Kimble

The final item–a gorgeous 14-karat white gold necklace–went for a lot of money.

$11,000, to be exact.

Still, it looked like it wouldn’t quite be enough to push the 2025 WTBA/TEF Scholarship Auction beyond last year’s record setting amount of $275,000.

Then came the last-minute addition from County Materials and a no-hesitation purchase by Musson Brothers, elevating the total to $276,000.

Hello, new record setter.

“I didn’t want to set a goal and make anyone feel like they had to participate,” Past President Brian Endres said.

“I feel the beauty of this organization is how organic it is. People want to support good causes. Even without setting a higher goal, people took it upon themselves to beat it and that really means a lot.”

Held every year during the WTBA Annual Convention, money raised at the auction supports the WTBA Scholarship Program and the Transportation Education Fund (TEF).

TEF, in turn, promotes the importance of sustainable funding and members’ work statewide all throughout the year through school outreach, public relations, roundtables with key stakeholders and much more.

Goal or no goal, the auction became an instant highlight for Endres in a week filled with a lot of fun.

“The true nature of this organization came through,” Endres said.

Governor provides strong backing for transportation funding as JFC dives into state budget work

February 20, 2025 by Lane Kimble

MADISON, Wis. — Much like building a road, bridge, or freeway, the first of many significant steps in building the state budget–and providing billions in funding for the transportation system–began this week.

Introducing his 2025-27 budget Tuesday night, Gov. Tony Evers called for boosting transportation revenue by nearly $420 million in ongoing sources while borrowing hundreds of millions to ensure major projects proceed on time.

Now, it’s up to the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) and state Legislature to swing the next big pieces into place.

The governor’s funding plan would increase vehicle title fees by $120 each, generating nearly $283 million over the next two fiscal years. It would also dedicate the sales tax from car parts and tires to the Transportation Fund, creating another $129 million in revenue over the same time period.

“The Governor’s budget safeguards the efforts of recent budgets to keep borrowing low and deliver more sustainable funding for the Transportation Fund,” Evers wrote in his “Budget in Brief” document.

“By keeping borrowing ratios steady, revenue generated by users of our transportation system is spent on today’s projects, not on debt payments for yesterday’s projects.”

Click HERE for WTBA budget analysis

Meanwhile, Gov. Evers’ budget plan would provide double-digit percentage increases for the State Highway Rehabilitation (18%), Southeast Mega (26%) and Major Projects programs (34%).

That funding–bolstered in part by hundreds of millions in borrowed cash–would ensure expansion projects such as I-39/90/94 between Madison and Wisconsin Dells and I-94 East-West past American Family Field begin while the massive I-41 expansion in the Fox Valley continues.

“The critical importance of keeping our roads safe and our economy strong through smart transportation investment is one of the rare areas of the state budget with bi-partisan consensus,” WTBA Executive Director Steve Baas said. “This is a strong starting position.”

The budget proposal also shifts the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) and the Local Road Improvement Program Supplemental (LRIP-S) funding source from Transportation to the state’s General Fund.

Historically, the JFC makes the next move by taking budget listening sessions on the road across Wisconsin in April. The bicameral committee then rolls out its version of the budget agency by agency during hearings in May. Then, the Assembly and Senate hold floor periods to vote on the newly crafted funding plan.

The state’s fiscal year ends June 30, which means the governor must sign a finalized funding bill by then. If not, state agencies will continue at 2023-25 levels until the budget is complete.

WTBA will keep members updated on when public meetings are scheduled around the state and as the full process proceeds.

ARTBA report: WI among leaders in federal-aid expansion, new construction projects in FY24

February 18, 2025 by Lane Kimble

Wisconsin was one of the top eight states in the U.S. this past fiscal year for road projects either in development or underway that use federal money to expand capacity.

Meanwhile, bridge repairs and replacements remain a top priority as states decide how to use federal dollars.

That’s a trend industry experts expect to continue for the next several years.

Dr. Alison Premo Black, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) chief economist, poured over Federal Highway Administration data recently. She found capacity additions or new infrastructure counted for more than 33% of total federal-aid project values in FY 2024.

“Projects approved since FY 2022 that include some work related to new capacity or construction are expected to improve nearly 7,140 miles (over twice the width of the United States) of roadway overall and 3,800 bridges,” Dr. Black wrote in an ARTBA article this week.

A number of other Midwestern states are in the top-10 for capacity expansions along with Wisconsin. Neighboring Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan also made the list.

Black’s analysis comes as a newly elected Congress is hammering out the latest federal budget and pondering how to reauthorize the surface transportation act, which expires in 2026.