Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP)

The Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) was established in 1991 to assist local units of government in improveing seriously deteriorating county highways, municipal streets in cities and villages, and town roads. The program is governed by s. 86.31, Stats.

LRIP is a reimbursement program, which may pay up to 50% of total eligible project costs, with the balance of funding matched by the local unit of government. All applicable projects are locally let and reimbursed by WisDOT upon project completion.

The program has three entitlement components that provide funding for road improvements. Counties are eligible for funding through the County Highway Improvement Program (CHIP), cities and villages through the Municipal Street Improvement Program (MSIP) and towns through the Town Road Improvement Program (TRIP)

In addistion to entitlements, there are also three discretionary components for counties, cities and villages and towns to request funding for high-cost projects. When discretionary funds are made available, WisDOT will move forward with a project solicitation and rvised timeline. Counties with high cost projects totaling $250,000 or more in elgible costs are elgible for the County Highway Discretionary Improvement Program (CHIP-D). Cities and villages with high cost projects with total eligible costs of $250,000 or more are elgible for the Municipal Street Discretionary Improvement Program (MSIP-D). Towns with high cost projects totaling $200,000 or more in total eligible costs are eligible for the Town Road Discretionary Improvement Program (TRIP-D).

Only work on existing county trunk highways, city and village streets, and town roads under the authority of the local unit of government are eligible for funding. Maintenance, new construction, or improvements to alleys or parking lots are not reimbursable through the program, per ch Trans 206.

Eligible projects include the following categories: Reconstruction, Resurfacing, Reconditioning, and Structure projects.

Eligible project costs are the costs eligible to be reimbursed by the department for an eligible LRIP project, and may include feasibility studies, design, right-of-way acquisition, any items that are an integral part of street and road reconstruction, and related engineering costs.

No LRIP funds may be used as the local match for federal aid projects. No federal aid funds may be used as the local match for an LRIP project.

The Rusk County Highway Department administers all of the LRIP programs for the WisDOT. The LRIP Committee, meets every other month at the Highway Department.

Please contact the Highway Department office with any questions or LRIP application requests.