Governor Scott Walker announced last week that $284,700 in state funds will help 24 Wisconsin counties maintain and improve public roads in county forests. Lincoln County, with 27.25 eligible miles of road, will receive $8,552 in Forest Road Aids.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) administers the state’s County Forest Road Aids program. The 2014 fiscal year funding will help improve more than 900 miles of public roads within county forests. Marinette County, with nearly 225 miles of eligible county forest roads, will receive the largest payment of more than $70,350.
To qualify for the state funding, roads must meet minimum design standards of a 16 foot surface width and a 20 foot roadway width; be located within county forests; be open and used for travel; and cannot be town roads, county or state highways.
County Forest Road Aids are separate from the larger General Transportation Aids (GTA) program. GTA returns funding to local governments from state-collected transportation revenues (fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees), helping offset the cost of county and municipal road construction, maintenance, traffic and other transportation-related costs.