A report card from a group of civil engineers graded Wisconsin’s infrastructure with a C+ in an assessment that covers 17 categories, including parks, roads and energy.
That grade is a slight improvement from the 2020 report card, when Wisconsin received a C.
The American Society of Civil Engineers issues the report card every four years as a way to give residents and policymakers a picture of where a state stands when it comes to transportation, water systems, waste management and other infrastructure. This year, Wisconsin became the first state to have broadband evaluated as part of the report.
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Ken Mika is a regional director for the engineering society who is based in Green Bay and one of the co-authors of the latest report card.
“(This year’s grade) tells us that we are currently in a position where there are some areas that do need to get improved immediately, but nothing is detrimental,” Mika told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”
The report card is intended to identify infrastructure areas with critical needs and to keep things running smoothly where the state is already doing well.
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“A lot of times, people don’t know what’s going on with infrastructure unless something bad is happening,” Mika said. “Nobody knows what civil engineers are up to until a bridge collapses.”
The report authors offered three key recommendations for raising the state’s grade in 2028:
Increase overall investment in infrastructure;
Ensure that infrastructure is safe, reliable and resilient;
Monitor access and improve data collection.
Mika joined “Wisconsin Today” for a look at some of the report’s key findings.
Milwaukee’s Interstate 43 is seen on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Evan Casey/WPR
Roads get a C with recent investments
Wisconsin has more than 115,500 miles of roadways, and most of them saw improved pavement conditions since the previous report in 2020.
That is largely due to an influx of local, state and federal funding, including the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, according to the report. However, that funding is set to expire in 2026.
“That’s going to be when the real questions begin. Because if we are not able to sustain this amount of infrastructure investment into our roadways and other areas, we’re going to see everything drop to pre-2021 infrastructure grades,” Mika said. “We need to figure out what the long-term plan is.”
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For Mika, that includes identifying new funding models since the Wisconsin gas tax has remained the same since 2006 despite inflation. He also pointed to the fact that gas usage is down with more electric vehicles on the road.
“We need to figure out what’s the better way to cover the true costs of using our roadways than what we’ve been doing in the past,” he said.
Kohler Park Dunes State Natural Area in Sheboygan in September 2024. While Wisconsin sees high participation in public parks, it ranks lowest in the country for per-visit spending. Richelle Wilson/WPR
Public parks get a D due to maintenance backlogs and low funding
This year is the first time report authors evaluated Wisconsin’s public parks, and the category received a D.
Mika chalked up the low grade to a lack of funding. He said Wisconsin has a wide gap between public park participation and how much the state Department of Natural Resources spends on the parks.
“The DNR spent an average of $3.39 per state resident on parks, which is the second lowest rate of all states in the United States,” Mika said. “That’s about $1.09 per visit, which is the lowest in the country, despite being ranked 17th nationally in participation.”
To boost the state’s public parks grade next time, the report recommends investing in critical upgrades to facilities, roads and drinking water at the parks.
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Crews with Hanco Utilities begin work on the first phase of Superior’s municipal broadband network, September 2024. Danielle Kaeding/WPR
Broadband gets a C-
Wisconsin is the first state to have a broadband grade in the infrastructure report card.
Mika said he was initially surprised by the low grade, given recent state and federal investments in broadband. But after reviewing the data, he said that limited access and low speeds in rural areas need to be addressed.
“We’re starting to realize that the older parts of the broadband network are not able to handle the latest and greatest speeds that are required for many of our new infrastructure as we become more of a data-centric society,” Mika said.
He pointed to the heavy use of broadband at home, schools and workplaces, as well as in operating infrastructure systems such as traffic lights or wastewater facilities.
La Crosse County Landfill. Civil engineer Ken Mika says landfills are an example of successful public-private partnerships in Wisconsin’s infrastructure. Photo courtesy of La Crosse County
Waste management, ports and rail all receive B grades
The highest grades in this year’s infrastructure report card are in the B range, and that includes hazardous waste, solid waste, rail and ports.
For Mika, the common thread in these higher-performing categories is public-private partnerships. He offered the example of waste management.
“We have both private and publicly owned landfills in Wisconsin, and the DNR works with both entities correctly to the point where the private entities are being responsible and covering their costs and their share while also protecting the environment,” Mika said.
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He also pointed to ports as an example of effective public-private partnerships in the state, with many ports being led by a local public entity but also receiving significant investment from private companies.
Schools are given an ‘incomplete’
Another first on this year’s report, schools received an “incomplete.”
“Because of the lack of data since 1999, we weren’t able to fully do what we would have felt as a proper amount of evaluation and grading,” Mika said.
For this report, the engineering society looks at school buildings, not educational programs, Mika explained. He hopes that the grade in the report card will create a push for more publicly available information on school facilities.
“If the state of Wisconsin can, it would be a good time to update the data so that the public can be better informed of what’s going on with our schools,” he said.
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Read the 2024 report card for Wisconsin’s infrastructure here.
Sprinkles early Wednesday ahead of a big warmup to end the week.
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REALLY AWESOME TO SEE HOW FAR HOPEFULLY THIS CAN TAKE US TO MORE EXPLORATION. YES, YES, 100%. AND THIS MORNING, OTHERWISE NOT PERFECT. IT’S NOT TOO BAD. WE’RE WAKING UP TO A FEW SHOWERS ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN, BUT IF YOU DIDN’T LIKE THE WEATHER YESTERDAY, WE ARE GOING TO BE DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT BY THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH TEMPERATURES YESTERDAY TOPPED OUT CLOSE TO ABOUT 34 DEGREES. THAT’S WHERE WE’RE SITTING FOR A LOT OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN RIGHT NOW. WE’RE GOING TO WARM UP INTO THE 60S THIS AFTERNOON. YES, SOME OF US ARE WAKING UP TO MAYBE A FEW SNOWFLAKES OUT THERE. MOST OF US ARE WAKING UP JUST TO RAIN SHOWERS TO KICK OFF THE DAY TODAY, SOME DRIER CONDITIONS SOUTH OF I 94 IN OUR VIEWING AREA RIGHT NOW. BUT YOU CAN SEE THE ACTIVITY THAT’S STRETCHING BACK WEST OF MADISON. JUST A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS AND SPRINKLES ARE LOOKING POSSIBLE THROUGH ABOUT 10:00. THERE’S RAIN ALL THE WAY BACK CLOSE TO WATERLOO RIGHT NOW, SO IT’S NOT GOING TO STICK AROUND THE ENTIRE TIME. WE’LL HAVE DRY TIME BETWEEN NOW AND 10:00, BUT ON AND OFF SHOWERS ARE STILL POSSIBLE. MILWAUKEE HAS HAD SOME SHOWERS THIS MORNING. YOU CAN SEE THE RAINDROPS ON THE CAMERA LENS THERE IN OCONOMOWOC, AS WELL AS BROOKFIELD. DELAVAN SO FAR HAS STAYED PRETTY DRY AND RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN IS A LITTLE MORE LIKELY. CLOSER TO AND NORTH OF I-94. RAIN IN MILWAUKEE RIGHT NOW. THOSE CHANCES STICK AROUND INTO THE MORNING. BUT THE BIG STORY TODAY IT IS THE WARM UP. IT IS GOING TO BE NICE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. SHOWER CHANCES JUST ABOUT 9 OR 10:00. THEN THE REST OF YOUR WEDNESDAY IS GOING TO BE DRY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SOME RAIN THAT MOVES OUT BY THURSDAY. BUT THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY, ANOTHER RAIN CHANCE IS ON THE WAY. MOST OF OUR DAYLIGHT HOURS ARE LOOKING DRY 56 DEGREES ON SATURDAY, DRY FOR SATURDAY. THEN WE’RE TRACKING. WILL TRACK MORE RAIN CHANCES SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY AND A BIG COOLDOWN AS WE HEAD INTO TUESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK, TEMPERATURES COULD BE ON THE CHILLY SIDE. ONCE AGAIN. HERE’S FUTURE CAST. NOTICE IT’S MAINLY RAIN THAT WE’RE SEEING, BUT I CAN’T RULE OUT A FEW SNOWFLAKES HERE. OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. THEN JUST SOME SHOWERS FOR THE EARLY PART OF THE DAY. AND THEN SUNSHINE IS BACK. IT WILL BE WINDY, SOME GUSTS AS HIGH AS 35MPH, BUT THAT’S BRINGING IN TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S LATER TODAY. AND THEN A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH AND RAIN CHANCES BUILD BACK IN REALLY FROM ABOUT 10:00 TONIGHT THROUGH ABOUT THREE, 4:00 IN THE MORNING. AND MOST OF YOUR THURSDAY IS DRY AND SUNNY. THEN NOTICE LATE THURSDAY EVENING INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THAT’S WHEN WE’LL TRACK OUR NEXT CHANCE FOR SOME RAIN. SO THE BOTTOM LINE, THE BIG CHANGE FROM WHAT WE SAW THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS IS THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE BACK IN THE 50S AND THE 60S TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY, AND REALLY THROUGH MOST OF THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST, WE HAVE RAIN CHANCES EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT MOST OF THAT RAIN IS FALLING DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, AND WE COULD HAVE A FEW SHOWERS LINGERING OR BUILDING IN IN THE EVENING OR LINGERING INTO THE MORNING. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, DAYLIGHT HOURS. AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE REST OF THE WORKWEEK IS GOING TO BE DRY, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME SHOWERS OUT THERE TO KICK OFF THE DAY. TODAY THERE COULD BE SOME WET ROADS FOR YOUR MORNING COMMUTE. RAIN CHANCES RETURN LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. SOME SHOWER CHANCES LATE TOMORROW INTO THURSDAY, BUT AGAIN MAINLY OVERNIGHT RAIN CHANCES. SO THOSE 50S AND 60S WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY 56 DEGREES ON SATURDAY. RIGHT NOW, SUNDAY 70. THAT’S FANTASTIC. AND IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE A WASHOUT, BUT WE ARE TRACKING STORM CHANCES SUNDAY AND MONDAY. OH MY GOODNESS. HOPEFULLY WE’RE TURNING A CORNER, BUT IT IS STILL SO EARLY. FINGERS CROSSED. IT’S WILD TO THINK THAT WE PROBABLY HAVE SOME SNOWFLAKES AROUND RIGHT NOW AND WE’
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Impact Day: Wintry mix to 60s in SE Wisconsin
Sprinkles early Wednesday ahead of a big warmup to end the week.
Updated: 5:46 AM CDT Apr 8, 2026
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Early rain showers Wednesday morning, with parts of the area seeing a wintry mix as temperatures start near freezing. Showers move out later this morning. Skies will gradually clear through the afternoon, with highs warming into the low to middle 60s.Rain with a few thunderstorms return late Wednesday evening and night. Rain will move out by early Thursday morning. Thursday will be a bit cooler, but still mild with a mix of sun and clouds. Another chance for rain returns late in the evening, with shower chances lingering into early Friday. Most of Friday is expected to stay dry, with highs in the low 50s.Drier Saturday with seasonable temperatures in the low 50s. Looking ahead, a more active pattern returns with chances for storms Sunday and Monday as temperatures jump into the low 70s. Rain chances continue Tuesday, with afternoon highs dropping back into the low 50s.
MILWAUKEE —
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Early rain showers Wednesday morning, with parts of the area seeing a wintry mix as temperatures start near freezing. Showers move out later this morning. Skies will gradually clear through the afternoon, with highs warming into the low to middle 60s.
Rain with a few thunderstorms return late Wednesday evening and night. Rain will move out by early Thursday morning. Thursday will be a bit cooler, but still mild with a mix of sun and clouds. Another chance for rain returns late in the evening, with shower chances lingering into early Friday. Most of Friday is expected to stay dry, with highs in the low 50s.
Drier Saturday with seasonable temperatures in the low 50s. Looking ahead, a more active pattern returns with chances for storms Sunday and Monday as temperatures jump into the low 70s. Rain chances continue Tuesday, with afternoon highs dropping back into the low 50s.
OSHKOSH (WLUK) — The state defense lawyers association argues the judge made a mistake in allowing a Winnebago County jury to hear the case against Jason Lindemann, who crashed his power boat into a cruise boat.
Lindemann was sentenced to five months in jail and three years on probation and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as a result of the July 9, 2022, crash between his powerboat and the On The Loos paddlewheel cruise boat. He was also ordered to pay $11,702.79 in restitution. The crash injured more than a dozen people.
Lindemann has appealed, claiming he drove his boat like “every boater does” and that the evidence doesn’t support the convictions. Prosecutors replied it believes Lindemann’s conviction should be upheld. Lindemann’s reply brief due is due April 14, then the appeals court will review the case and issue a ruling. That’s expected to take several months.
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Surveillance video of a July 9, 2022, boat crash on the Fox River in Oshkosh. (Courtesy Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office)
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers filed what’s known as a ‘friend of the court’ brief, offering its input on the issue of jury selection.
Brief from the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers arguing for Jason Lindemann’s conviction in an Oshkosh boat crash to be overturned.
Click here to view the PDF file
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It noted the extensive publicity on case, from the day of the crash, onwards.
“WACDL submits that a careful analysis of precedent, and a realistic assessment of the pretrial publicity at issue, require that prejudice be presumed. Lindemann’s community was sufficiently against him that drawing his jury from Winnebago County violated his due process rights. The circuit court thus erred in denying his request for a change of venue, and reversal is warranted,” wrote attorney Megan Sanders.
The brief also argues the judge’s faith in voir dire — the juror screening and selection process — was “unfounded,” given the case’s publicity.
It argues the convictions should be overturned.
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“There is an effective solution for the due process problem at issue here. Case law supports it, Lindemann sought it, and the State — after explaining its concerns about proceeding in Winnebago County — declined to contest his request. Under these circumstances, and with no cogent rationale for keeping the case in Oshkosh, the circuit court erred in denying Lindemann’s motion for a change of venue,” the brief states.
A pair of John Blackwell’s former teammates wasted no time expressing how they felt about his departure.
The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball squad took a huge hit on April 6 when its star point guard announced he’d be entering the transfer portal.
Blackwell posted a farewell message that received mixed reactions, but both Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp expressed their gratitude for getting to play alongside the Michigan native.
“My brother!! Coming into college with you, it’s meant everything to do it by your side. Through all the ups and downs we went through, I won’t forget a second of any of it… go do what you do JB. For life,” Winter wrote.
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Rapp added, “Gonna miss big bro, appreciate this year with you John Blackwell.”
Winter has been with the Badgers since the 2023-24 season, the same year Blackwell joined the program. Rapp, the Portland transfer, only was able to spend one year with Wisconsin’s guard who averaged just shy of 20 points per game.
Badgers fans are still awaiting decisions from Winter and Rapp, though neither has indicated they’ll be continuing their collegiate careers elsewhere.
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