84.03 Federal aid; state and local funds.

(1) State and federal aid.

(a) All moneys granted or allotted to the state of Wisconsin as federal aid for highways and all state appropriations and other funds available to match or supplement such federal aid funds and so utilized by the department shall be expended by the department in accordance with the act of congress relating to such federal aid funds.

(b) Funds provided by any county, city, village or town to construct, reconstruct or improve any highway, street or bridge with state or federal aid under this chapter, shall be paid to the department or to the state treasury as the department may require and shall be expended in accordance with s. 84.06 and the federal acts relating to such federal aid. The use of state or federal aid in the construction, reconstruction or improvement of any highway, street or bridge not on the state trunk highway system shall not relieve the county, city, village or town of any obligation to maintain such highway, street or bridge. The department may allot to any city of the 1st class any state and federal highway funds to which such city may be entitled for the purpose of the payment of interest, debt charges, amortization or retirement of street or highway bonds issued pursuant to s. 67.05 or other applicable provisions of law. Such cities may use such highway funds so allotted for such purposes, paying interest, debt charges and costs, amortization or retirement of such bonds.

(c) On any highway, street or bridge hereafter constructed, reconstructed or improved with state or federal aid under this chapter, the location, form and character of informational, regulatory and warning signs, curb and pavement or other markings, and traffic signals installed or placed by any public authority or other agency shall be subject to the approval of the department; and the department is directed to approve only such installations as will promote the safe and efficient utilization of the highways, streets and bridges.

(2) Federal appropriations adjustments.

(a) In this subsection:

1. “Amount of federal funds" means the sum of federal revenues received under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, as amended, or under a substantially similar federal legislative act. “Amount of federal funds" does not include the first $300,000,000 of federal moneys received by the state, pursuant to federal legislation enacted during the 111th Congress, for the purpose of reviving the economy of the United States, which moneys are intended to be used for transportation purposes.

2. “The schedule" means the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) as published in the biennial budget act for the first fiscal year of a fiscal biennium and as approved by the joint committee on finance under s. 20.004 (2) for the 2nd fiscal year of a fiscal biennium.

(b)

1. Subject to subd. 2., the secretary shall submit annually to the joint committee on finance a plan identifying how the secretary proposes to adjust the department's appropriations for that state fiscal year to reflect the most recent estimate of the amount of federal funds that the department will be appropriated in that state fiscal year. The secretary shall submit the plan by the later of the following:

a. December 1.

b. Thirty days after the enactment of the federal legislation described under par. (a) 1. for that federal fiscal year.

c. Thirty days after the enactment of the applicable federal appropriation bill for that federal fiscal year.

2. The secretary is required to submit a plan under subd. 1. only if the department's most recent estimate of the amount of federal funds that the department will be appropriated under s. 20.395 in the current state fiscal year is less than 95 percent or more than 105 percent of the amount of federal funds shown in the schedule for the appropriations under s. 20.395 in that fiscal year.

(c) After receiving a plan under par. (b) 1., the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance jointly shall determine whether the plan is complete. If the joint committee on finance meets and either approves or modifies and approves a plan submitted under par. (b) 1. within 14 days after the cochairpersons determine that the plan is complete, the secretary shall implement the plan as approved by the committee. If the joint committee on finance does not meet and either approve or modify and approve a plan submitted under par. (b) 1. within 14 days after the cochairpersons determine that the plan is complete, the secretary shall implement the proposed plan. If the joint committee on finance approves a plan under s. 84.555 for a state fiscal year, the joint committee on finance may modify a plan implemented under this paragraph for that fiscal year.

(4) Park East Freeway corridor cost sharing.

(a) The maximum state share of costs for the project for the demolition of the Park East Freeway corridor in Milwaukee County, as provided in an agreement entered into on April 20, 1999, between the city of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, and the state, shall be $8,000,000, of which $6,800,000 shall be federal interstate cost estimate funds received by the state.

(b) The local share of costs of the project described in par. (a) shall be not less than the amount of $17,000,000 provided for in the agreement specified under par. (a), of which $14,450,000 shall be federal interstate cost estimate funds received by the city or county.

(9) Improving state trunks; landscaping and acquiring wayside areas.

(a) Subject to s. 86.255, that part of the appropriation made by s. 20.395 (3), not required for the other purposes therein provided, may be used by the department for the improvement and traffic service of the state trunk highway system and connecting highways, for the purchase and operation of equipment, making surveys for locating local road materials, testing of materials, and for other purposes provided in this section, and to match or supplement federal aid for the construction, reconstruction or improvement of the federal aid highway system, secondary or feeder roads, the elimination of hazards at railroad grade crossings and for any other highway purpose for which the state may match or supplement federal aid funds pursuant to any act of congress. Where such funds are used for the improvement of the state trunk highway system or connecting highways or to match or supplement federal aid they shall be expended in accordance with s. 84.06 and any applicable act of congress. Any funds expended pursuant to this paragraph shall be expended by the department on such projects within the provisions of this paragraph, and executed in such manner as the department shall from time to time determine will best meet the needs of travel and best promote the general welfare. Such funds may be used for improvements, within the provisions of this paragraph, independent of or in conjunction with other funds available for such improvements. Subject to s. 86.255, the requirements of any federal highway act, or regulations issued thereunder, may be met from such appropriation.

(b) In addition to the purposes provided in par. (a) there may be expended by the department a sum sufficient, not exceeding $20,000, for marking highways as civil defense evacuation routes as requested by the secretary of local affairs and development prior to September 1, 1980 or the secretary of the department of administration on or after September 1, 1980.

(10) Improvement of connecting highways. All connecting highways shall be constructed or reconstructed by the state in the same manner as portions of the state trunk highway system. It shall not be compulsory for the state to construct or reconstruct any such highway to a greater width than those portions of the state trunk system connecting therewith.

History: 1971 c. 125; 1973 c. 243 s. 82; 1977 c. 29 ss. 928, 929, 1654 (1), (3), (8) (a), 1656 (43); 1977 c. 272; 1977 c. 418 ss. 572, 573, 929 (55); 1979 c. 34 s. 2102 (52) (a); 1979 c. 361; 1983 a. 130; 1987 a. 27; 1997 a. 86; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 16, 109; 2003 a. 33; 2009 a. 2; 2011 a. 257.