Paplham frustrated by wait on bridge, box culvert replacement

PIERCE – When will the work start? That’s what locals impacted by a suddenly-closed bridge on Longfellow Road and one-lane traffic by a box culvert on 10th Road since last September are wondering after nearly 12 months have passed.

The good news? The Kewaunee County townships of Pierce and Montpelier will receive more than $1.94 million combined to repair or replace aging culverts and small bridge structures.

The not-so-good? Things won’t get finished — or even started — before the snow flies.

“We’re frustrated,” said Pierce Town Chairman Brian Paplham. “We paid for a lot of the engineering up front to get the ball moving. We’re guaranteed the money, but we can’t do anything until the SMA (State/Municipal Project Agreement) is signed.”

Paplham said he and Montpelier Town Chair Scott Jahnke pleaded with local legislators to try to get things sped up in the past year, but government red tape and politics means a drawn-out process.

“There’s no SMA yet,” Paplham said. “The DOT has to form it, send it to the state Legislature for approval, then the DOT, then we sign it. Even if that happens soon, we’d need to get the rest of the engineering done and then bid it out.”

Paplham said he knows locals are tired of the wait.

“We’re frustrated,” he said. “And Longfellow, that’s a corridor for fire and rescue. If there’s a call, now they need to go way around. That adds a lot of minutes. We’re probably looking at next spring or summer now.”

The Montpelier projects are on County Road JJ and Sleepy Hollow Roads.

Both townships were included in a list of 101 communities across the state sharing in nearly $30 million in funding through the newly created Local Small Structures Improvement Program made available in the 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers last year.

That money came from the highly successful Agricultural Roads Improvement Program created in 2023, with about 20 percent of $150 million set aside to support projects focused on the repair or replacement of aging culverts and small bridges in rural communities that are critical for moving and transporting the state’s agricultural and forestry products.

Montpelier was scheduled to get $1,165,514, or about 90 percent of two projects with an estimated cost of nearly $1.3 million. Meanwhile, Pierce was to receive about $781,000, about 90 percent of two projects estimated to cost about $868,000.

Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 13 three years ago, expanding the Local Roads Improvement Program to include agricultural road improvement projects and providing $150 million to support these projects in the final 2023-25 Biennial Budget he signed into law.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Kristina Boardman said the coordination between WisDOT staff and local governments was critical in identifying and inventorying thousands of small structures throughout the state.

The initial investment included $12.5 million for WisDOT to assess local culverts and small bridge structures. The agency collaborated with the local governments to inventory and inspect the more than 16,500 small structures, identifying those with the most urgent repair needs.

More than 9,600 miles of roads and 2,400 bridges have been improved statewide since 2019. In addition, ongoing funding for the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports program supports farmers and producers wanting to expand into new markets, increase output and help navigate international markets for agriculture, forestry and food products.

Wisconsin is currently ranked 12th in the nation for agricultural exports by state, up from 13th in 2021.