September 19, 2024

By Lane Kimble

There’s nothing lucky about Wisconsin’s 13th-worst ranking among states for rural road conditions.

TRIP, the non-profit organization that studies surface transportation across the country, released its Rural Roads & Bridges reportThursday morning.

It found 18% of Wisconsin’s rural roads are rated as “poor” and another 17% are in “mediocre” condition.

That’s despite the massive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, the state’s Local Road Improvement Program funding, and a new $150 million in Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), which WTBA supports.

“Rural roads, highways and bridges connect farms to the pantries of every family in America,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “Transportation delays and poorly maintained roads put the safety of rural Americans at risk and undermine farmers’ ability to contribute to a stable food supply.

“While the IIJA offers an opportunity to improve the reliability and condition of America’s transportation system, we must increase funding in the National Highway Trust Fund to ensure our roads continue to bring agriculture products to market.”

Among Wisconsin’s neighbors, only Michigan (16th) and Illinois (25th) join the Badger State in the bottom half of the country.

Click HERE to download the FULL report.