The Blatnik Bridge under construction in 1958. (Minnesota Department of Transportation)
Gov. Tony Evers is leaning on U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to release stalled federal highway money along with $78 million in promised funding to build out a network of electric vehicle charging stations in Wisconsin.
The governor’s office on Thursday released a letter Evers sent Duffy last week, urging the former Wisconsin congressman “to take immediate action to end the unlawful and harmful obstructions to federal approvals and federal funding for crucial transportation projects across the nation and here in your home state of Wisconsin.”
Federal delays will slow down projects across the state, Evers wrote, including a railroad bypass in Muskego, outside Milwaukee, that is planned for improved freight movement; a grant for highway improvement in Menominee County that will help forestry shippers; and numerous rural road and bridge projects in Wisconsin.
A pause in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program — part of the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted during the Biden administration — is “threatening at least 15 already-approved electric vehicle infrastructure projects for private entities, utilizing approximately $7 million in NEVI funding, including multiple projects located in the congressional district you used to represent in the U.S. Congress,” Evers wrote.
Duffy represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, covering the northwestern part of the state, until he stepped down in late 2019.
“More than $56 million that Wisconsin has been allocated in future rounds of the NEVI program is also at risk due to the uncertainty caused by unnecessary delays at USDOT,” Evers wrote.
“These delays and obstructions hurt Wisconsinites and Wisconsin communities,” he added. “As a fellow Wisconsinite, I urge you to end these obstructions and support states in implementing lawful federal funding and needed approvals.
Evers’ letter follows one written March 4 from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials also calling for an end to the delays.
Federal dollars awarded to states according to established federal formulas are “legally binding obligations,” wrote the association’s president, Garrett T. Eucalitto.
The funds go to repay states for expenses they’ve already incurred under the terms set by the federal highway program. That letter demands reimbursement requests “be paid immediately for construction and related costs already incurred.”
After President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20, he issued executive orders halting the distribution of funds as well as other federal administrative actions across a wide range of federal programs. The orders have led to a raft of lawsuits challenging them.
Highway programs are among those caught up in the Trump administration’s freezes. In addition to financial payouts owed the states, the administration has also put a hold on issuing approvals, such as environmental reviews required by law, related to pending projects.
“These interruptions—whether directly or indirectly related to funding—have the effect of freezing essential construction and planning activities including those involving roadway and bridge projects,” wrote Eucalitto, who is also the Connecticut transportation commissioner. “Delays like these leave state DOTs at serious risk of losing the upcoming construction season for many projects. This will not only add to overall costs to the American people but also deprive communities from receiving those economic, safety, and quality of life benefits.”
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