De Pere, WI– Wisconsin State Senator André Jacque (R- De Pere) delivered yet again on his promise to aggressively advocate for the needs of Northeast Wisconsin yesterday, as the state’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted late last night to incorporate his request to provide funding for the construction of a new bridge for southern Brown County and begin the first phase of Highway 41 lane expansion between De Pere and Appleton.  The project will offer essential access to the interstate highway system for industrial parks and businesses on both sides of the Fox River, reduce congestion and increase safety for travelers, and give certainty to local and regional planning efforts.

Senator Jacque made the following comment regarding the committee’s action:

“I’m elated and proud to get this done and follow through on my continued efforts to advocate for my neighbors in Northeast Wisconsin on the issues important to us, especially this critical and long overdue infrastructure need, in just my first opportunity as a member of the State Senate,” said Senator Jacque.

Jacque’s motion enumerates the new interchange needed at Highway 41 and Southbridge Road in De Pere, which is expected to leverage the Federal funding to build the southern bridge itself, and funds $6 Million over the biennium for the required federal environmental review process and interchange access reports necessary to proceed.  The construction of the interchange will also be the start of the first phase of the vital Highway 41 lane expansion between De Pere and Appleton, with approximately 23 miles of Highway 41 between Scheuring Road and Highway 96 being added to WisDOT’s major highways program.

Jacque’s proposal garnered the enthusiastic support of many area legislators and local elected officials, with crucial support from residents and businesses throughout Northeast Wisconsin and a coalition led by De Pere Mayor Mike Walsh, the De Pere City Council, the town boards of Lawrence and Ledgeview, Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach, and the Greater Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Jayme Sellen, among many others.

“After two decades of delays, the Southern Bridge is on its way, and I’m excited to play a role in making it happen,”concluded Jacque.

 

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