(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation will be spending $100 million on 55 projects to improve local rural roads that are used to transport agriculture and forestry products.

The funding is the second round of the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program, created during the 2023-25 biennial budget. The projects stretch over 36 Wisconsin counties.

The budget included a total of $150 million for ARIP projects with $50 million awarded in Round 1.

The projects with fix or improve aging roads and culverts critical to moving products.

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association applauded the $77.8 million in investments that will impact dairy processors and farmers.

“These impactful investments in Wisconsin’s rural road infrastructure are felt not only in dairy processing plants, but throughout the communities they serve,” said WCMA Senior Director of Programs & Policy Rebekah Sweeney. “Our entire food supply chain depends on – and benefits from – programs like ARIP.”

The Cheese Makers named Agropur, Bel Brands, Burnett Dairy, Chalet Cheese Cooperative, Decatur Dairy, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Gilman Cheese, Integrity Cheese Packaging, K&K Cheese, LaGrander’s Hillside Dairy, Mullins Cheese, Pasture Pride Cheese, Renard’s Cheese, Revela Foods, Springside Cheese and Two Guernsey Girls Creamery as companies that would benefit from the road funding.

The ARIP funding pays for up to 90% of awarded projects with the largest awards being $4.8 million for County Highway J in Juneau County, $4.4 million for Town Hall Road located in Grover in Marinette County and $4 million for repairs to Gibson Drive in Little Black in Taylor County.

There were applications for 220 projects submitted for the grants with 74 repeat applications that did not receive Round 1 funding.

“The number of applications received clearly demonstrates the need for this program,” said WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman. “ARIP funding is specifically targeted toward fixing roads and culverts in our rural communities. WisDOT is proud to support these improvements so our agricultural industries can safely and efficiently get products from point A to point B.”