 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1967 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Jurisdiction | Wisconsin |
| Headquarters | 4822 Madison Yards Way,Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7910 |
| Agency executives | |
| Parent agency | State of Wisconsin |
| Website | wisconsindot |
TheWisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is a governmental agency of theU.S. state ofWisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining thestate's highways.[4] It is also responsible for planning transportation in the state relating to rail, including passenger rail, public transit, freight water transport and air transport, including partial funding of theMilwaukee-to-ChicagoHiawatha provided byAmtrak.[5]
The Wisconsin DOT is made up of three executive offices and five divisions organized according to transportation function. WisDOT's main office is located at Hill Farms State Transportation Building inMadison, and it maintains regional offices throughout the state.
In 1905, thestate legislature introduced an amendment to the state constitution that would allow the state to fund construction and improvement of roads. It was approved by voters in 1908. On June 14, 1911 governorFrancis McGovern signed legislation that created the State Highway Commission. Its members met for the first time three days later. The commission originally consisted of five part-time members and nine permanent employees. Its duties included reviewing proposed highway projects and regulating the construction and inspection of highways and bridges. In 1912, the commission started the Wisconsin Road School. This brought together numerous road professionals to develop construction and maintenancebest practices. A highway fund was created in 1925 by charging a tax on fuel of two cents per gallon. The commission received $15.2 million over the nextfiscal year. The commission was reorganized in 1929, changing it to three full-time members. During the 1930s and 1940s, the responsibilities of the commission continued to expand. By 1940, it had 500 employees. In 1967, the Highway Commission was merged with the Wisconsin Aeronautics Commission, Department of Motor Vehicles, and theWisconsin State Patrol to form the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.[6]
In 2014, Wisconsin voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution enshrining the existence of the state Department of Transportation, and requiring that transportation-related taxes and fees must be deposited in a transportation fund, which can be used solely for transportation-related purposes.
The department is led by the executive offices. This level is composed of the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Policy, Finance, and Improvement as well as the positions of secretary deputy secretary, and assistant deputy secretary. Below this, there are five divisions.[7]
The DBM does the general business work for the department. It contains the department'shuman resources services and information technology support. Its tasks include:[8]
The DMV provides services to drivers. It has 90 locations throughout the state. Its tasks include:[9]
The DTIM serves a wide variety of functions. It contains the Aeronautics Bureau. It also works with planning projects and assisting inmass transit. Its tasks include:[10]
The DTSD is responsible for constructing, maintaining, and operating the state's highways. It is divided into statewide bureaus and five regional offices that serve different parts of the state. Its task include:[11]
The DSP administers theWisconsin State Patrol. Its tasks include:[12]
The department uses the state's Transportation Fund, which is separate from the General Fund. Money in this fund can only be used for transportation purposes. A majority of revenue, about 56%, is provided by the state. This is raised mainly through the gas tax and vehicle registration fees. Another 24% comes federal funding. The remaining revenue comes from bonds and other funds. In the state's 2015-2017 budget, the Department received a total of $6.82 billion. This consisted of $3,852.6 million from the gas tax and fees, $1,655 million from federal funds, $910.7 million from bonds, $229.9 million of general purpose revenue, and $227.9 million from other funds.[13]
The department runs a Transportation Reading Challenge to use transportation as a theme to encourage kids to read. The challenge allows kids ten and under to participate by reading stories that contain various types of transportation. They must record the books on a reading challenge ticket which is then sent to the Office of Public Affairs to win prizes.[14]
| # | Secretary | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G. H. Bakke | August 1, 1967 | January 8, 1971 | Appointed byWarren P. Knowles.[15] |
| 2 | Norman Clapp | January 8, 1971 | January 4, 1975 | Appointed byPatrick Lucey.[16] |
| 3 | Zell S. Rice | January 4, 1975 | July 1, 1977 | Appointed byPatrick Lucey.[17] |
| 4 | Dale Cattanach | July 1, 1977 | January 1, 1979 | Appointed byPatrick Lucey.[18] |
| 5 | Lowell B. Jackson | January 1, 1979 | September 1, 1981 | Appointed byLee S. Dreyfus.[19] |
| 6 | Owen Ayres | September 1, 1981 | January 3, 1983 | Appointed byLee S. Dreyfus.[20] |
| 7 | Lowell B. Jackson | January 3, 1983 | January 5, 1987 | Appointed byTony Earl.[21] |
| 8 | Ronald Fiedler | January 5, 1987 | January 1, 1992 | Appointed byTommy Thompson.[22] |
| 9 | Charles H. Thompson | January 1, 1992 | April 15, 2000 | Appointed byTommy Thompson.[23] |
| 10 | Terry Mulcahy | April 15, 2000 | January 1, 2002 | Appointed byTommy Thompson.[24] |
| 11 | Gene E. Kussart | January 1, 2002 | June 1, 2002 | Appointed byScott McCallum.[25] |
| 12 | Thomas E. Carlsen | June 1, 2002 | January 6, 2003 | Appointed byScott McCallum.[26] |
| 13 | Frank J. Busalacchi | January 6, 2003 | January 3, 2011 | Appointed byJim Doyle.[27] |
| 14 | Mark Gottlieb | January 3, 2011 | January 6, 2017 | Appointed byScott Walker.[28] |
| 15 | Dave Ross | January 6, 2017 | January 7, 2019 | Appointed byScott Walker.[29] |
| 16 | Craig Thompson | January 7, 2019 | September 11, 2024 | Appointed byTony Evers.[30] |
| 17 | Kristina Boardman | September 11, 2024 | Current | Appointed byTony Evers.[31] |
| International | |
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| National | |
