MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), today announced two Transportation Economic Assistance (TEA) grants in the village of Wrightstown. The grants allow rail spurs to be built at Alliance Plastics Inc. and Drexel Systems LLC’s Wrightstown facilities and will add more than 120 manufacturing jobs.
“These grants are a great example of what’s possible when we work collaboratively and strategically to support our local communities and industries, and I applaud the village of Wrightstown for their good work to make this happen,” said Gov. Evers. “These rail spurs will not only create and retain jobs in our manufacturing industry, but they will also improve and bolster our state’s transportation infrastructure, expanding opportunities for Wisconsin industries to grow and succeed for years to come.”
Since the beginning of 2019, Wisconsin’s TEA program has awarded 20 grants totaling more than $9 million to support transportation improvements linked to business development projects that will create more than 1,800 new jobs and retain more than 1,600 jobs in Wisconsin.
“We are proud to support the village of Wrightstown and their commitment to invest in transportation and workforce,” said WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson. “New rail spurs for these two companies will facilitate economic development and provide important connections to markets across the nation as well as Canada.”
“With the award of two TEA grants, the village of Wrightstown can create an economic gateway to our newest industrial park,” said village of Wrightstown Administrator Travis Coenen. “The Wrightstown Rail Extension project connects two new tenants (Alliance Plastics Inc. and Drexel Systems LLC) in the Wrightstown Industrial Park to the Canadian National Railroad. Efficient transportation of goods to these companies will continue to grow our community and the northeastern Wisconsin marketplace.”
Alliance Plastics Inc.
A TEA grant award of $400,000 will allow the village of Wrightstown to connect an Alliance Plastics Inc. rail line spur to an existing Canadian National Railway line. The 1,384-foot rail spur will support the movement of raw materials to this facility from other states and Canada. The grant will add 79 manufacturing jobs, as well as retain one job.
“The rail spur project for our property in Wrightstown, Wisconsin will allow Alliance Plastics to dramatically cut down on the number of inbound OTR deliveries that currently occur without the rail access,” said Alliance Plastics Inc. President Troy Wolf. “It also allows our company to purchase our raw materials in larger quantities and store more material onsite, allowing us to be more competitive in our industry space. These factors will allow us to continue to expand both our facility size and employment at our Wrightstown, Wisconsin location and the TEA Grant award makes this possible.”
Drexel Systems LLC
Additionally, a TEA grant award of $500,000 will help reconstruct a rail spur for Drexel Systems LLC to connect to an existing Canadian National Railway line. The 4,175-foot rail spur system will support the movement of lumber from the Pacific Northwest and Canada. The grant will add 50 manufacturing jobs and retain 50 jobs.
“Drexel is beyond thrilled to hear that the village of Wrightstown was awarded a WisDOT TEA grant,” said Drexel Building Supply President Joel Fleischman. “This will assist Drexel in keeping its cost of goods competitive and bring high quality raw building materials directly into the manufacturing facility. Drexel appreciates all of the hard work that the village of Wrightstown and the state of Wisconsin did by coming together and helping to make this project a reality.”
More information about WisDOT’s TEA program can be found here.
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