Wisconsin Department Of Transportation

Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), a child entity of the State of Wisconsin, acts as the prime recipient of federal formula grants from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and delivers highway and transportation infrastructure projects statewide through competitive bid letting to construction contractors rather than as a direct contractor itself. WisDOT does not compete for federal contracts; its federal footprint consists entirely of grants administered as a state transportation authority under FHWA programs including the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (CFDA 20.287), Highway Planning and Construction (CFDA 20.205), Bridge Formula Program (CFDA 20.263), Highway Safety Improvement Program (CFDA 20.272), National Highway Freight Program (CFDA 20.278), Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Program (CFDA 20.284), National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (CFDA 20.277), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CFDA 20.268), State Planning and Research Program (CFDA 20.258), Federal Lands Access Program (CFDA 20.224), and Railway-Highway Crossings Program (CFDA 20.285).

WisDOT's award portfolio spans over 32,700 federal grants since 1999, with a combined obligated value of $30.02 billion across all sources. The past five years show steady grant volume—approximately 1,100 to 1,500 awards annually—with 313 awards recorded in 2026 year-to-date through August. Nearly 100 percent of WisDOT's federal awards are prime grants; sub-awards total only eight across the entire portfolio. The customer concentration is absolute: the Federal Highway Administration accounts for 32,170 awards (98 percent of all awards), with remaining volume scattered across Federal Aviation Administration Regional offices, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and minor awards to the Department of Veterans Affairs for highway signage. The only prime contract award identified in the source is a $43,263 sole-source purchase order from the VA Veterans Integrated Service Network 12 for highway sign creation and placement in Wisconsin, awarded April 2024 and completed August 2024.

WisDOT's grant footprint centers on highway reconstruction, resurfacing, pavement replacement, and bridge replacement and preservation work. Representative recent awards include $76.8 million (June 2026, FHWA) for Interstate 43 Rock Freeway pavement replacement; $127.4 million (May 2026, FHWA) for State Highway 441 interchange reconstruction and Interstate 41 mainline expansion in Appleton-De Pere; $50.3 million (June 2026, FHWA) for State Highway 172 resurfacing between Manitowoc and Green Bay; and multiple multi-million-dollar awards for local and county road reconstruction, ADA curb ramp installation, railroad crossing safety improvements, and non-highway trail construction. WisDOT also administers research grants through the State Planning and Research Program, including awards for wildlife crossing analysis, safety countermeasures, and pavement materials research. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment began in 2026 under the NEVI Formula Program, with awards totaling over $6.8 million across multiple corridor projects. All projects are delivered as formula grants obligating the state to execute work through competitive procurement with local municipalities, counties, tribal entities, and private construction contractors; WisDOT provides federal grant administration and project oversight on behalf of FHWA.

The recompete cliff shows 464 awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing the ongoing cycle of highway and bridge projects under formula grant administration. WisDOT does not hold parent contract vehicles, does not engage in teaming relationships as a prime or subcontractor on federal contracts, and does not compete in set-asides. The organization operates as a pass-through grant administrator for federal transportation programs rather than as a federal contractor or vendor.