Wisconsin Department Of Transportation

Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), a U.S. state government entity, acts as the prime recipient of federal grants and performs highway construction, bridge rehabilitation, pavement resurfacing, and transportation infrastructure improvements across Wisconsin on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). WisDOT operates as a child entity under the State of Wisconsin Governors Office and competes in full-and-open federal grant programs rather than set-aside categories.

WisDOT's federal award footprint centers almost entirely on transportation infrastructure. The agency received 31,942 formula grants from the FHWA between 2022 and 2026, supporting pavement replacement, bridge replacement and rehabilitation, highway reconstruction, roadway expansion, traffic signal installation, railroad crossing improvements, pedestrian and bicycle trail construction, electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment, and related capital projects. Recent FHWA work includes a $69.6 million formula grant for I-41 mainline reconstruction and expansion between Appleton and De Pere (2.254 miles); a $63.997 billion formula grant for State Highway 441 reconstruction in Appleton-De Pere; a $34.47 million grant for I-41 mainline reconstruction (Meade Street to Ballard Road, 1.136 miles); and a $22.1 million grant for State Highway 164 resurfacing in the Waukesha-Slinger area. WisDOT also received National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula awards across seventeen sites totaling approximately $12.8 million for the installation and operation of electric vehicle charging stations along Wisconsin's transportation corridors through 2037. Other programs include Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) awards for local street reconstruction, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) for traffic signal modernization and EV fleet conversion, the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) for safety-focused pavement and intersection work, the Bridge Formula Program for bridge replacement on public roads, the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program for infrastructure resilience improvements, and the State Planning and Research (SPR) Program for transportation planning research.

The Federal Highway Administration dominates WisDOT's customer concentration, accounting for 31,942 awards (98% of total award count) with the vast majority of dollars. The FAA Great Lakes Region awarded 154 grants, primarily for airport infrastructure administration and state block grant management. The NHTSA, FTA, and FAA (national) contributed 133, 113, and 72 awards respectively. A single $43,263 purchase order from the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network 12 covered highway sign creation and placement.

WisDOT's activity has declined year over year—from 1,473 awards in 2022 to 164 awards in 2026—though this reflects the nature of formula grant reporting cycles and accounting rather than reduced federal support. The agency has 351 awards reaching ultimate completion within the next 24 months, representing significant recompete obligation across multiple programs. As a state transportation authority, WisDOT does not operate as a subcontractor, does not pursue set-aside work, and does not sit on federal contract IDIQs or GWACs. Instead, the agency administers federal formula allocations directly to implement transportation infrastructure projects statewide, with delivery through competitive bid letting to construction contractors. Grant recipients include local municipalities, counties, and tribal entities that execute specific projects under WisDOT oversight.