Agency overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1967 |
Preceding agencies |
|
Jurisdiction | Wisconsin |
Headquarters | 4822 Madison Yards Way, Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7910 |
Agency executives | |
Parent agency | State of Wisconsin |
Website | http://wisconsindot.gov/ |
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's highways. [4] It is also responsible for planning transportation in the state relating to rail, including passenger rail, public transit, freight water transport and air transport, including partial funding of the Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha Service provided by Amtrak. [5]
The Wisconsin DOT is made up of three executive offices and five divisions organized according to transportation function. WisDOT's main office is located at Hill Farms State Transportation Building in Madison, and it maintains regional offices throughout the state.
In 1905, the state legislature introduced an amendment to the state constitution that would allow the state to fund construction and improvement of roads. It was approved by voters in 1908. On June 14, 1911 governor Francis McGovern signed legislation that created the State Highway Commission. Its members met for the first time three days later. The commission originally consisted of five part-time members and nine permanent employees. Its duties included reviewing proposed highway projects and regulating the construction and inspection of highways and bridges. In 1912, the commission started the Wisconsin Road School. This brought together numerous road professionals to develop construction and maintenance best practices. A highway fund was created in 1925 by charging a tax on fuel of two cents per gallon. The commission received $15.2 million over the next fiscal year. The commission was reorganized in 1929, changing it to three full-time members. During the 1930s and 1940s, the responsibilities of the commission continued to expand. By 1940, it had 500 employees. In 1967, the Highway Commission was merged with the Wisconsin Aeronautics Commission, Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Wisconsin State Patrol to form the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. [6]
In 2014, Wisconsin voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution enshrining the existence of the state Department of Transportation, and requiring that transportation-related taxes and fees must be deposited in a transportation fund, which can be used solely for transportation-related purposes.
The department is led by the executive offices. This level is composed of the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Policy, Finance, and Improvement as well as the positions of secretary deputy secretary, and assistant deputy secretary. Below this, there are five divisions. [7]
The DBM does the general business work for the department. It contains the department's human resources services and information technology support. Its tasks include: [8]
The DMV provides services to drivers. It has 90 locations throughout the state. Its tasks include: [9]
The DTIM serves a wide variety of functions. It contains the Aeronautics Bureau. It also works with planning projects and assisting in mass transit. Its tasks include: [10]
The DTSD is responsible for constructing, maintaining, and operating the state's highways. It is divided into statewide bureaus and five regional offices that serve different parts of the state. Its task include: [11]
The DSP administers the Wisconsin State Patrol. Its tasks include: [12]
The department uses the state's Transportation Fund, which is separate from the General Fund. Money in this fund can only be used for transportation purposes. A majority of revenue, about 56%, is provided by the state. This is raised mainly through the gas tax and vehicle registration fees. Another 24% comes federal funding. The remaining revenue comes from bonds and other funds. In the state's 2015-2017 budget, the Department received a total of $6.82 billion. This consisted of $3,852.6 million from the gas tax and fees, $1,655 million from federal funds, $910.7 million from bonds, $229.9 million of general purpose revenue, and $227.9 million from other funds. [13]
The department runs a Transportation Reading Challenge to use transportation as a theme to encourage kids to read. The challenge allows kids ten and under to participate by reading stories that contain various types of transportation. They must record the books on a reading challenge ticket which is then sent to the Office of Public Affairs to win prizes. [14]
# | Secretary | Took office | Left office | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | G. H. Bakke | August 1, 1967 | January 8, 1971 | Appointed by Warren P. Knowles. [15] |
2 | Norman Clapp | January 8, 1971 | January 4, 1975 | Appointed by Patrick Lucey. [16] |
3 | Zell S. Rice | January 4, 1975 | July 1, 1977 | Appointed by Patrick Lucey. [17] |
4 | Dale Cattanach | July 1, 1977 | January 1, 1979 | Appointed by Patrick Lucey. [18] |
5 | Lowell B. Jackson | January 1, 1979 | September 1, 1981 | Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus. [19] |
6 | Owen Ayres | September 1, 1981 | January 3, 1983 | Appointed by Lee S. Dreyfus. [20] |
7 | Lowell B. Jackson | January 3, 1983 | January 5, 1987 | Appointed by Tony Earl. [21] |
8 | Ronald Fiedler | January 5, 1987 | January 1, 1992 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson. [22] |
9 | Charles H. Thompson | January 1, 1992 | April 15, 2000 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson. [23] |
10 | Terry Mulcahy | April 15, 2000 | January 1, 2002 | Appointed by Tommy Thompson. [24] |
11 | Gene E. Kussart | January 1, 2002 | June 1, 2002 | Appointed by Scott McCallum. [25] |
12 | Thomas E. Carlsen | June 1, 2002 | January 6, 2003 | Appointed by Scott McCallum. [26] |
13 | Frank J. Busalacchi | January 6, 2003 | January 3, 2011 | Appointed by Jim Doyle. [27] |
14 | Mark Gottlieb | January 3, 2011 | January 6, 2017 | Appointed by Scott Walker. [28] |
15 | Dave Ross | January 6, 2017 | January 7, 2019 | Appointed by Scott Walker. [29] |
16 | Craig Thompson | January 7, 2019 | Current | Appointed by Tony Evers. [30] |
Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the Midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois, at I-55 to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) in the town of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, which is approximately six miles (9.7 km) south of Wausau. I-39 was designed to replace U.S. Route 51 (US 51), which, in the early 1980s, was one of the busiest two-lane highways in the United States. I-39 was built in the 1980s and 1990s.
Interstate 43 (I-43) is a 191.55-mile-long (308.27 km) Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Wisconsin, connecting I-39/I-90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and I-41, U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) and US 141 in Green Bay. State Trunk Highway 32 (WIS 32) runs concurrently with I-43 in two sections and I-94, I-894, US 10, US 41, US 45, and WIS 57 overlap I-43 once each. There are no auxiliary or business routes connected to I-43, though an alternate route to direct traffic during road closures is signed along local and state highways from Milwaukee County north into Brown County.
US Highway 141 (US 141) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the states of Wisconsin and Michigan. The highway runs north-northwesterly from an interchange with Interstate 43 (I-43) in Bellevue, Wisconsin, near Green Bay, to a junction with US 41/M-28 near Covington, Michigan. In between, it follows city streets in Green Bay and has a concurrent section with US 41 in Wisconsin. North of Green Bay, US 141 is either a freeway or an expressway into rural northern Wisconsin before downgrading to an undivided highway. In Michigan, US 141 is an undivided highway that runs through rural woodlands. The highway has two segments in each state; after running through Wisconsin for about 103 miles (166 km), it crosses into Michigan for approximately another eight miles (13 km). After that, it crosses back into Wisconsin for about 14+1⁄2 miles (23 km) before crossing the state line one last time. The northernmost Michigan section is about 43+1⁄2 miles (70 km), making the overall length about 169 miles (272 km).
U.S. Highway 8 (US 8) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs primarily east–west for 280 miles (451 km), mostly within the state of Wisconsin. It connects Interstate 35 (I-35) in Forest Lake, Minnesota, to US 2 at Norway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the border with Wisconsin. Except for the short freeway segment near Forest Lake, a section near the St. Croix River bridge, the interchange with US 51, and a three-mile (4.8 km) stretch west of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, it is mostly an undivided surface road. As a state highway in the three states, US 8 is maintained by the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan departments of transportation.
Interstate 41 (I-41) is a 175.00-mile-long (281.64 km) north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located 2.50 miles (4.02 km) south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropolitan Chicago, to an interchange with I-43 in metropolitan Green Bay, Wisconsin. The designation travels concurrently with US 41 for its entire length, as well as portions of I-894, US 45, I-43, and sections of I-94 in Wisconsin and Illinois. The route was officially added to the Interstate Highway System on April 7, 2015, and connects Milwaukee and Green Bay with the Fox Cities.
State Trunk Highway 16 is a Wisconsin state highway running from Pewaukee across the state to La Crosse. Much of its route in the state parallels the former mainline of the Milwaukee Road and current mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Interstate 90 (I-90) or I-94 parallels Highway 16 for most of its length in the state. It serves local traffic in nearby cities including La Crosse, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Columbus, Watertown, Oconomowoc and Waukesha. The highway is mainly two-lane surface road or urban multi-lane expressway from La Crosse to Oconomowoc, and it is a freeway east of Oconomowoc.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) is an agency of the U.S. state of Delaware. The Secretary of Transportation is Nicole Majeski. The agency was established in 1917 and has its headquarters in Dover.
State Trunk Highway 39 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs in east–west across south central Wisconsin from Edmund to New Glarus.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin charged with conserving and managing Wisconsin's natural resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has the authority to set policy for the WDNR. The WDNR is led by the Secretary, who is appointed by the Governor of Wisconsin. The WDNR develops regulations and guidance in accordance with laws passed by the Wisconsin Legislature. It administers wildlife, fish, forests, endangered resources, air, water, waste, and other issues related to natural resources. The central office of the WDNR is located in downtown Madison, near the state capitol.
State Trunk Highway 65 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in west central Wisconsin from St. Croix Falls to Ellsworth.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT), formerly the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, is a government department in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its mission is to provide a safe, efficient, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sound intermodal transportation system for the user. The department is responsible for implementing policy made by the Arkansas State Highway Commission, a board of officials appointed by the Governor of Arkansas to direct transportation policy in the state. The department's director is appointed by the commission to hire staff and manage construction and maintenance on Arkansas's highways.
State Trunk Highway 127 is a 14.16-mile (22.79 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs from WIS 16 near Wisconsin Dells east to Interstate 39 (I-39) and WIS 16 in Portage; the highway is located entirely within Columbia County. WIS 127 is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
State Trunk Highway 131 is a 78.9-mile (127.0 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The highway is located in Wisconsin's Driftless Area, passing through Crawford, Vernon, Richland, and Monroe counties. It runs from WIS 60 near Wauzeka north to US Highway 12 and WIS 16 in Tomah. WIS 131 is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
State Trunk Highway 143 was a 7.5-mile (12.1 km) state highway in Washington and Ozaukee counties in Wisconsin, United States, that ran east–west between south of West Bend and Cedarburg.
State Trunk Highway 163 was a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It ran north–south between Mishicot and Luxemburg. The road was turned over to county control in 1999, and it is now designated as County Trunk Highway B (CTH-B) in Manitowoc County and CTH-AB in Kewaunee County.
M-73 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects with US Highway 2 (US 2) and Highway 55 (WIS 55) at the state line near Iron River. Running through forest, the highway was first designated along with the rest of the state highway system in 1919. Unchanged since its inception, M-73 was completely paved by the mid-1930s.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1, 2009, by the 186th Session of the Massachusetts General Court upon enactment of the 2009 Transportation Reform Act.
Mark Gottlieb is an American civil engineer and Republican politician from Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. He served as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation through much of the administration of Governor Scott Walker. He previously served eight years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 60th Assembly district from 2003 to 2011. He was also mayor of Port Washington, Wisconsin, from 1997 to 2003. After leaving government, he became associate director of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation.
U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) is a United States Highway that serves eastern Iowa. It enters the state from Missouri near Keokuk with US 136. North of Keokuk, it is overlapped by US 218 for a few miles. It the follows the course of the Mississippi River past Montrose and Fort Madison. It meets US 34 at Burlington. It passes through Wapello and bypasses Muscatine and Blue Grass on its way toward Davenport. There, it follows Interstate 280 (I-280) and I-80 around the Quad Cities. North of Davenport, it follows a freeway north toward DeWitt where it meets US 30. The highway continues north through Maquoketa and reaches the Dubuque area. There it is joined by US 151 and briefly by US 52. The two highways enter the downtown area on an expressway. Due to the proximity of the Mississippi River and railroad tracks that lie between, the routes have an indirect junction with US 20. The two highways leave the state and enter Wisconsin about one-half mile (800 m) north of the Illinois–Wisconsin state line.
The Wisconsin State Trunk Highway System is the state highway system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, including Wisconsin's segments of the Interstate Highway System and the United States Numbered Highway System, in addition to its other state trunk highways. These separate types of highways are respectively designated with an I-, US, or STH- prefix. The system also includes minor roads designated as Scenic Byways, four routes intended to promote tourism to scenic and historic areas of the state; and as Rustic Roads, lightly traveled and often unpaved local roads which the state has deemed worthy of preservation and protection. The state highway system, altogether totaling 11,753 miles (18,915 km) across all of Wisconsin's 72 counties, is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).