GREEN COUNTY, WI. On Monday, June 29, state and local officials gathered along County Highway FF to celebrate a project years in the making: the complete reconstruction of one of Green County’s essential rural routes, made possible by an Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
To the average driver, a road project looks like orange cones, fresh asphalt, and temporary delays. To the leaders who gathered for the ceremony, it represents something much bigger: a safer road, a stronger local workforce, and long-term financial health for the county.
A Gathering of State and Local Leadership
The event brought together the partners who made the project possible. Attendees included Senator Howard Marklein; Jerry Guth, Chair of the Green County Board of Supervisors; Nicholas Owen, Green County Administrator; Chris Narveson, Green County Highway Commissioner; Russ Torkelson, Chair of the Green County Highway Commission; Anna Anderson, Chair of the Town of Sylvester; Duane Zimmerman, Chair of the Town of Monroe; Bob Kennedy, President of Rock Road Companies; and Timothy Schleeper, PE, Engineering Services Manager at Vierbicher.
The turnout tells the story: this project succeeded because state legislators, county government, town boards, contractors, and engineers all pulled in the same direction.
Pictured (L-R): Bob Kennedy, President, Rock Road Companies, Inc.; Nicholas Owen, Green County Administrator; Anna Anderson, Chair, Town of Sylvester; Jerry Guth, Chair, Green County Board of Supervisors; Chris Narveson, Green County Highway Commissioner; Duane Zimmerman, Chair, Town of Monroe; Senator Howard Marklein; Russ Torkelson, Chair, Green County Highway Commission; Timothy Schleeper, PE, Engineering Services Manager, Vierbicher
“A Game-Changer” for Rural Road Funding
Speaking at the ceremony, Chris Narveson, Green County Highway Commissioner was direct about what the ARIP grant means for a county budget:
“Rural roads like County FF are the backbone of our community, but they are incredibly expensive to maintain and rebuild. Without the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program grant, this project simply would not be happening.”
Through the program, Green County was awarded a 90-10 grant: the state covers 90 percent of the cost, leaving the county responsible for just 10 percent. As Narveson put it, for a rural road of this scale that kind of funding is a game-changer. It allowed the county to greenlight a vital safety and infrastructure upgrade that otherwise would have sat on a wishlist for years while the road continued to deteriorate.
Vierbicher worked closely with Green County to pursue and secure the ARIP grant, one of the ways our team helps Wisconsin communities turn funding programs into finished projects.
Local Crews, Local Pride
One of the most celebrated aspects of the project is that the grant allows Green County’s own Highway Department forces to perform the reconstruction. Speakers highlighted two reasons that matters. First, local pride: nobody cares more about the quality of these roads than the people who live here and drive them every day. Second, budget relief: keeping the work in-house maximizes every dollar for the county’s highway budget.
The savings go further than the road itself. By self-performing the work, the county plans to set money aside for future equipment replacement, building up reserves to replace aging machinery without coming back to taxpayers for extra funding down the road.
Two Projects, One Coordinated Effort
The celebration also recognized a neighboring success story. The Town of Sylvester was awarded its own ARIP funding for Ladwig Road in the 2024-25 budget cycle and turned to Vierbicher to administer the funding requirements and coordinate the Ladwig Road reconstruction with the CTH FF project.
Sequencing the two reconstructions together allows crews, equipment, and materials to be shared efficiently across both projects, generating additional savings for County taxpayers.
“Let’s Get to Work”
The ceremony closed with a message of gratitude and momentum:
“This project is the perfect example of what happens when smart policy, state funding, and local talent come together. We are getting a safer, completely reconstructed County Highway FF. We are supporting our local workforce. And we are protecting the county’s long-term financial health.”
Thanks went to everyone who worked on the grant application, to the state partners who recognized the need in rural communities, and, ahead of time, to the Highway Department crew who will be putting in the sweat to get the job done.
Congratulations to Green County, the Town of Sylvester, and everyone who brought this project to life. Now the real work begins.
Need Help Funding Your Community’s Road Projects?
Vierbicher helps Wisconsin communities identify, pursue, secure, and administer grant funding for transportation and infrastructure projects, from application through ribbon cutting. If your county, town, or village has a rural road project waiting on funding, contact our team to talk about ARIP and other funding opportunities.