Wisconsin’s rural roads are critical for the State’s farmers, producers, and agricultural industries, and maintaining them is the aim of a $50 million package announced on Thursday by Governor Tony Evers. To make the announcement, Evers visited Fredonia in Ozaukee County, which received over $1.8 million to improve local roads and infrastructure along Belgium-Kohler Road.
Evers walked the crumbling, decaying surface of the road to get a ground-level feel for what’s at stake, accompanied by farmers and other who depend upon the road for a living, and area municipal representatives who’ve been trying for years to fund the needed fix. Stories were told of low-lying areas, patched out of necessity long ago with corduroy logs and fill, once again becoming exposed. Another message heard – gratitude for the money that will repair and repave 2.2 miles of the road west of Ozaukee County Road “I”.
Evers said that his last campaign catchphrase was “fix the damn roads”, and Belgium-Kohler Road was a perfect example of why rural Wisconsin roads need attention just like the major highways. One of the attendees made the importance clear, saying that “Wisconsin’s biggest business is agriculture, and it ain’t going nowhere!”
Governor Evers at Belgium-Kohler Road on Thursday, Announcing $1.8 Million to Improve That Rural Road. Photo by Kevin Zimmermann
In all, 37 projects in 28 Wisconsin Counties will benefit from the influx of cash. Besides Fredonia, other regional projects on the list include improvements to Weber Road in Fond du Lac County’s Town of Calumet, as well as Center Road in the Town of Newton and Pine River & Range Line Road in the Town of Liberty, both in Manitowoc County.
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