Senate Bill 443 proposes amendments to the eligibility criteria for the agricultural roads improvement program (ARIP) administered by the Department of Transportation in Wisconsin. Currently, highways must demonstrate a level of insufficiency for agricultural traffic by either being designated as a class B highway due to structural deficiencies or having a posted weight limitation for at least one month in the previous year. The bill renumbers and amends the existing criteria and introduces a new option for demonstrating insufficiency.

Specifically, the bill adds a provision that allows an engineering analysis performed by a registered professional engineer to serve as evidence that a highway cannot accommodate heavy agricultural traffic. This change aims to provide more flexibility in determining eligibility for grants under the ARIP, thereby potentially improving access to agricultural lands through enhanced highway facilities.