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.