Gov. Evers, WisDOT Announce Latest Round of Agricultural Roads Improvement Program Grants Open, Encourages Local Governments to Apply

“Agriculture is synonymous with Wisconsin—it’s an essential part of our culture and our way of life, and our farmers and producers are a driving force in ensuring our communities and our economy continue to thrive,” said Gov. Evers. “Through this program, we’re helping ensure our farmers and producers have the quality infrastructure they need to safely and efficiently transport tens of millions of tons of products each year, and I encourage local municipalities to take advantage of this next round of grant funding so we can continue our good work to support our essential agricultural industry that is the backbone of our great state.”

Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, the state has improved more than 9,600 miles of roads and 2,400 bridges statewide since 2019. The governor has also been a steadfast advocate for Wisconsin’s farmers and producers, including ensuring they have the 21st-century infrastructure needed to get their products to market. Gov. Evers created the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program in 2023 by signing 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 and approving the 2023-25 Biennial Budget, which provided $150 million to support the program. The most recent 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers continued support for this highly successful program with another $150 million investment, of which, $30 million will be targeted to improve and repair deteriorating culverts and small structures through the recently announced Local Small Structures Improvement Program. Earlier this month, Gov. Evers and WisDOT announced nearly $50 million in grants were awarded through the first round of ARIP funding.

Since its creation, the program has funded 120 projects across the state that are helping improve and repair rural roads in 56 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. All told, more than 23.5 million tons of agricultural products, valued at $13 billion, are transported on ARIP-awarded roads each year.

“Wisconsin farmers help to strengthen the backbone of our state’s economy,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “Investing in programs like ARIP helps make a difference in rural communities by making transport of agricultural goods less costly and more efficient. We encourage local governments to take advantage of this opportunity and submit applications for worthy projects.”

Housed under the Local Roads Improvement Program at WisDOT, ARIP is a reimbursement program that may pay up to a maximum of 90 percent of total eligible project costs, with the balance of the eligible costs funded by the local unit of government. To be eligible for funding, projects must meet the following criteria:

Applications for round two must be submitted to WisDOT by June 29, 2026, at 5 p.m. Projects awarded are anticipated to be announced in Fall 2026.

More information about ARIP, as well as a full list of projects that received ARIP funding in early April 2026, in addition to the 2024-25 cycles, is available on the ARIP webpage on WisDOT’s website.