Baldwin Brings Home $300,000 to Connect More Wisconsinites with Careers in Highway Construction to Reconstruct Blatnik Bridge, Support I-41 Expansion

WISCONSIN - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will receive $300,000 to connect more Wisconsinites with good-paying jobs in highway construction. The funds will help create a new partnership between the state, workforce development organizations, and schools to recruit, train, and place people in highway construction jobs to help reconstruct the Blatnik Bridge and support the I-41 expansion project. The award comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Highway Construction Training Program (HCTP), which is funded by the Baldwin-backed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Senator Baldwin also pushed the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund the project.

"Fixing our roads and bridges and creating good-paying jobs go hand in hand. Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is going to replace crumbling infrastructure, keep families safe, and strengthen supply chains - but we need a highly-skilled workforce to meet this moment and make this investment a reality," said Senator Baldwin. "I am proud to bring home this funding that will help connect more Wisconsinites with good-paying careers in the construction trades."

"I declared 2024 the Year of the Worker here in Wisconsin as we continue our focus on building the infrastructure, workforce, and economy necessary to meet the needs of the 21st Century," said Gov. Evers. "Our state depends on a skilled, resilient workforce to ensure our state is ready for that future. I've been proud to support this training program from the start, and I'm grateful to Sen. Baldwin for securing this federal funding to help recruit, train, and retain construction highway workers and continue our work to fix the darn roads and infrastructure across our state."

WisDOT will utilize funds to expand its Highway Construction Skills Training program into northern Wisconsin and develop the Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (HCWP-North) to engage relevant stakeholders to recruit, train, and place individuals in the highway construction workforce. Training will focus on developing the workforce to support the I-41 expansion project, the I-535 Blatnik Bridge reconstruction project, and Tribal workforce needs.

Members of the HCWP-North workgroup include the Bay Area Workforce Development Board, Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Forward Service Corporation, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, Sokaogon Chippewa Community College, and Tribal Labor Advisory Committee.

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