Wisconsin’s new two-year budget included $4 million for interchange upgrades needed to welcome Buc-ee’s, the gas station and convivence store behemoth, to DeForest, north of Madison.
But that’s only a portion of the $7 million to $8 million DeForest needs, Village Administrator Bill Chang said July 22. DeForest remains in a “holding pattern” pending separate state legislation, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The $4 million investment is “greatly appreciated by the village,” Chang said. “However, we are not all the way there to covering the full amount yet.”
The recently signed state budget directs the state Department of Transportation to provide a $4 million grant for improvements to the Interstate 39/90/94 and County V interchange to handle increased traffic.
The infrastructure project is expected to cost $15.1 million, and Buc-ee’s has offered to pay about 53% of it.
That cost may have changed since the estimate almost two years ago, Chang noted, because of market conditions and costs of materials.
In his budget proposal, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers recommended $6 million for the project. The allocation was in the budget document passed by Republicans and signed by Evers, but at the smaller amount.
Apart from the state budget, lawmakers are considering separate legislation to assist DeForest. The bill would extend a tax incremental financing district, allowing property tax money from the proposed Buc-ee’s and other nearby developments to help fund the improvements.
That intersection is a “high-growth area,” Chang said, and he previously testified to lawmakers that developers and landowners are waiting to make decisions based on the progress of the interchange project.
The bipartisan bill passed the state Assembly in May, 93-4, but hasn’t received a vote in the Senate.
If Senate passes the legislation and Evers signs it — in addition to the $4 million — the village “would be in a better position,” Chang said. “That brings us back to the table to really negotiate the details of that development agreement.”
A Buc-ee’s spokesperson declined to comment.
Chang said Buc-ee’s is still interested in the DeForest site in addition to a second proposal in Oak Creek, a southern suburb of Milwaukee. The Oak Creek location could open in early 2027 but is delayed, pending a traffic impact analysis.
The proposed DeForest and Oak Creek stores are each projected to create up to 225 jobs. The DeForest location is expected to generate more than $30 million in taxable sales per year from 5 million visitors.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: State budget included $4 million for DeForest interchange. What’s next for Buc-ee’s plans?
Reporting by Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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