Green Bay Reporter

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is poised to include up to $50 million in his next budget to cover the cost of constructing connectors over the Fox River in Brown County.

With the issue a topic of discussion for some going as far back as five decades, WBAY recently reported that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) is among those championing the plan.

“Working closely with local officials and federal partners, we’ve made more progress in the last three-and-a-half years than the last 30 on a project that will finally join growing Green Bay area businesses and Interstate 41,” DOT Secretary Craig Thompson said in a statement, quoted by WBAY.

Evers hints the project could be only the start.

“We’re fixing the damn roads—and our bridges, too—and we’re not done yet,” Evers posted to Twitter. “In our next budget, we're going to provide the funding for the Southern Bridge project in Brown County.”

The construction would begin at Packerland Drive in Lawrence and stretch across the river all the way to the nearby town of Ledgeview. The changes would also call for a new interchange on Interstate 41 to follow along with various roads on each side of the river, with the new bridge stretching in the neighborhood of 2.5 miles south of the Claude Allouez Bridge, ultimately relieving some of the congestion in that area.

The plan, which is expected to be a huge boon for the local infrastructure and business, still requires the approval of the state legislature, with construction estimated to commence no sooner than 2025.