Federal funding coming to Monroe County to keep roads resilient through severe weather

SPARTA, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – We’re coming up on the most active severe weather months of the year in Wisconsin, and extreme weather events can cause significant damage to roadways. As First News at Nine’s Dashal Mentzel explains, one Western Wisconsin county is getting federal funding to help keep its roads resilient to severe weather.

US Senator Tammy Baldwin says more than 500,000 dollars in federal funding has been secured for the Monroe County Highway Department. Senator Baldwin adds the economy and lives depend on proper infrastructure, “I was really proud to partner with Monroe County and the highway department to get this funding so that we can review the resiliency of all the infrastructure and then make plans to make repairs and improvements wherever possible.”

Officials say the money will help in a number of ways, including improving infrastructure at watersheds in the county. Highway Commissioner, David Ohnstad, says high water events have caused over $33 million worth of damage in Monroe County over the last 20 years, “This is focused on county highways and town roads throughout the watershed...