September 26, 2025
By Lane Kimble
MADISON — The bitter cold, darkening skies, and howling snowstorms of winter will bring the 2025 construction season to an end all too soon.
The industry’s work, however, is only beginning.
“We do have big challenges ahead,” WTBA Executive Director Steve Baas said during Thursday’s Fall Meeting at Monona Terrace in Madison.
The biggest hurdle? A more than $1 billion structural deficit in the state Transportation Fund awaiting lawmakers when they start crafting the 2027-29 budget.
NEW (10/2/25) FALL MEETING SLIDE DECKS
2026 Projected Lets & Quantities (WisDOT)
Construction Progress, Planning, Coordination and Safety (WisDOT)
Transportation Industry Public Opinions (Ken Goldstein)
Several massive projects coming online or about to begin–especially the I-94 East-West expansion in Milwaukee, the I-41 expansion in the Fox Valley, and the I-39/90/94 reconstruction from Madison to Wisconsin Dells–mean a lot of work for WTBA members, but also consume a huge portion of program funding.
Click HERE to view 2025 Fall Meeting Photo Gallery
Baas, however, encouraged the more than 120 attendees to also focus on WTBA’s wins in the past several budgets, which include about $1 billion in new and ongoing revenue.
“That’s progress and that’s something you guys ought to be proud of, something I’m awfully proud of as an association,” Baas said.
WisDOT unveils FY26 projected lets and quantities
The Fall Meeting had plenty to celebrate.
WisDOT’s projected lets and quantities for FY2026 showed a $1.6 billion let level, which would be about $200 million more than 2025.
Concrete quantities are projected to rise more than 1 million square yards, with excavation, base course, and bridge deck numbers all up, too.
(NOTE: WTBA will release the projected quantities and all other Fall Meeting slide decks publicly in the Friday, Oct. 3 edition of the Weekly Update)
Gov. Tony Evers and WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman praised members for their dedication to not only completing hundreds of projects every season, but also ensuring lawmakers and the general public understand the industry’s impact on everyday life.
“We are in a strong position because of partners like all of you,” Evers said. “You’ve fought for this important work in every single budget that we’ve had together over the years.
Reindexing gas tax on the table?
The state Legislature relied heavily on one-time transfers from the General Fund to fill transportation revenue voids the past few budgets, which also helped keep borrowing low. A long term solution, though, is necessary, contract lobbyist Eric Petersen told the crowd.
If the fix is raising the gas tax for the first time in nearly 20 years, people across Wisconsin may actually be OK with that, pollster Ken Goldstein explained.
His research–part of a campaign sponsored by WTBA and a coalition of partners–has found a vast majority of people statewide view fixing roads as a top-three priority and are willing to pay a little more at the gas pump to do it right.
“Every day we fall farther behind by not, at least, indexing (the gas tax) from where we’re at and then at least having that conversation about how to make up for lost ground,” State Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said during the Fall Meeting’s legislative panel.
“It’s got to be part of the solution.”
Republican Rep. Alex Dallman and Sen. Patrick Testin said raising the gas tax would be a tougher sell in their caucus, but it is at least worth talking about and including as an option.
Regardless of what shakes out in the state Capitol over then next year, Baas urged members to stay engaged, informed, and keep pushing forward.
“I want you to leave feeling confident that, with the team you’ve got in place here at WTBA, with the association we have in place, the diversity of the companies… these challenges are big, but these challenges are not insurmountable,” Baas said.
“You’re a huge part of our success. Your investment in this association fuels us.”
