The Situation
Will Road in the Town of Jefferson serves a mix of residential, agricultural, and business traffic, connecting County Trunk Y with Jaeckel Road east of Jefferson and Fort Atkinson. The corridor has long needed attention. Local officials and residents have pointed to narrow pavement, aging asphalt, and limited past resurfacing as reasons the route has become increasingly concerning for safe and efficient travel.

What is the fix, and how does it benefit the community and the state?
The project will fully reconstruct Will Road. Planned improvements include pulverizing the existing asphalt, regrading the roadway, widening the driving surface by two feet, adding four-foot shoulders, and replacing or installing at least four culverts. These upgrades are expected to significantly improve safety and reliability for the more than 1,000 vehicles that use the road each day, including farm traffic from Kutz Dairy and other local homes and businesses.

What makes the investment possible?
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP) is providing $1,966,500 toward the project. The town of Jefferson, along with its partners in the towns of Hebron and Koshkonong, will contribute the remaining 10 percent of the roughly $2,185,000 total cost. State leaders note that ARIP is designed to help farmers and producers move goods safely and efficiently on rural roads. The Will Road project is part of the $50 million in ARIP investments awarded in the first round of this year’s cycle.

Next Steps
Engineering work is expected to wrap up this summer. Local officials hope construction can begin in spring 2027 and be completed by the end of that year. The participating municipalities still need to finalize an agreement outlining how the local match will be shared.