Agriculture

Wisconsin transportation secretary visits La Crosse harbor in support of funding for commercial transit

Published

12 months ago

May 2, 2023

A railroad boxcar sits near a crane at the Robers company on French Island on May 2, 2023 (PHOTO: Brad Williams)

Wisconsin’s secretary of transportation, Craig Thompson, visited the Port of La Crosse on French Island, highlighting the need to support highways, railroads, and river traffic.

Wisconsin DOT Secretary Craig Thompson (third from left) visits the F.J. Robers company on French Island, May 2, 2023 (PHOTO: Brad Williams)

Thompson said a Harbor Assistance Program has provided millions of dollars to La Crosse for work such as repairing harbor docks, so barges can be loaded and unloaded easily.

“The Port of La Crosse handles nearly one million tons of commodities annually, including liquids, cement, grain” and other bulk products, Thompson told reporters during Tuesday’s visit.

He added that the harbor is strategically located near Interstate-90 and local railroad tracks.

Thompson said a federal program called PROTECT can provide millions of dollars for river, highway, and rail systems.

The $142 million in funding for Wisconsin for five years is larger than the amount set aside for Minnesota, but less than the funding provided for Illinois and Michigan.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.