Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association

A scholarship check presentation; a greeting from new Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Boardman; Q&A opportunities regarding projected lets and quantities; a candid conversation with Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu; a fascinating dive into the Wisconsin Policy Forum's upcoming report on Wisconsin's road conditions and funding. Oh, and some great conversations and networking on top of it all. Phew. We packed a LOT into yesterday's WTBA Fall Meeting! It was a good reminder that there are some big opportunities (and, yes, some challenges, too) in 2025 and beyond. But together, we're prepared to tackle them head-on. “We’ve got big things to do in the near term and the long term. We can do it because we’ve got you working with us,” WTBA Executive Director Steve Baas told the crowd.

Here’s an idea: Fully close one direction of interstate that carries about 128,000 vehicles a day around Milwaukee for an entire weekend to repave it.  Then… do it again to the other side the next weekend. Sound a little crazy?  Well, guess what… IT WORKED. Starting at 11 p.m. this past Friday, Payne+Dolan (A Walbec Group Company) crews closed eastbound I-894 for a little more than three miles.  They milled 67,000 square yards of old pavement in less than 16 hours, then got to work rolling out 600 tons of asphalt an hour across all three lanes, supported by 86 trucks on-site at the peak. The end result was a beautiful, smooth driving surface. “This is kind of a big deal for everybody,” Senior Project Manager Joe Jones told WTBA when we checked things out Saturday morning. This marked the second of two full-directional closures on prime contractor Zignego Company, Inc.'s I-894 project; a rarity for construction crews, especially for such a long period of time. What would’ve taken weeks or months to finish took just a couple days.  In fact, TMJ4 reported crews (which included Mega Rentals doing striping and traffic control) finished hours early… well before Monday morning rush hour. “It’s a lot of long days, it’s a lot of long nights, it’s a lot of resources allocated to this… In the end game, it’s well worth it,” Jones said.  “We like this route.” This work isn’t just saving construction time, though.  Check back for our video feature next week when Jones explains why he considers this work a “triple threat.” Thanks Walbec Group for letting us check out the Paving Blitz!

Much appreciation to James Peterson Sons, Inc. crews for taking the time to show us around their Highway 53 worksite this fall, especially when you find out the kind of timeline they're on. Check out our latest member feature here!

There's construction work that ultimately helps with traffic flow... and then there's construction work that literally helps things... FLOW. You can see that on display thanks to Lunda Construction Company's Sheboygan Marsh Dam project near Elkhart Lake. Crews removed the old spillway and replaced it with a crest gate spillway section and two slide gates. The end result? Better control of water levels to benefit vegetation and wildlife growth in the heart of a 14,000-acre wetland. The nearby park and campground are the most popular in Sheboygan County. Lunda asked WTBA to capture the finished product late this summer and we were happy to oblige. Check out their great work!

It was the "Fall" Sporting Clays Tournament by name only. Yesterday really felt like it should've been called the SUMMER tournament, given the mid-80s heat and full sun. Not that we're complaining; it made for an awesome day at one of WTBA's most popular outdoor events. Mix in some incredible shooting (we even had one perfect score), a few puppies who loved the extra attention, and a killer post-shoot party with High Country and you have a recipe for a memorable end to the summer. Congrats to our individual and team winners, thank you to all the sponsors, and thanks to everyone who participated. See you in the spring!

Two-and-a-half years may sound like a long time to get a highway project done. On the surface, that’s the length of the Highway 53 reconstruct near Chippewa Falls. Then, Paul Church draws your attention to a calendar and, essentially, crosses off June, July, and August. Hello, time crunch. “This is one of the tighter projects we’ve worked on over the years, of this size and magnitude,” Church told WTBA during a visit this week. “Yes, this is a challenge.” In an effort to keep summer traffic flowing as well as possible, WisDOT will only allow James Peterson Sons, Inc. crews and their subs to rebuild the state highway between Labor Day and Memorial Day. That means JPS has from now until October 30 to finish tearing up and paving 4 ½ miles of northbound highway. “We’re going to deliver a quality project on time,” Church guaranteed. It’s not just the timetable challenging crews–there’s something about this pavement, too. Find out how JPS is navigating that next week in our video feature.

Nearly one in every five miles of rural roads in Wisconsin are in “poor condition,” a new report out this morning from TRIP A National Transportation Research Nonprofit shows. That’s 13th-worst in the nation. State programs like the new $150 million Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP), which WTBA supports, should help, but this demonstrates even more transportation system investments–both on rural roads and the state highway backbone–are needed long-term. Let’s get to work!

Russell Kronlage still struggles to process what happened the morning of October 6, 2023. “You can’t make any sense in your head. You can never put those together, the why," Kronlage said. "I’m trying like a detective to get to the bottom of it since. Did you know? Did you know?" Russell's son, Ty, had followed in his father's footsteps--signing on as an operator with an excavating and grading company shortly after high school. He loved nature, hanging out with friends, and was always the life of the party. So when he didn't show up to work that morning, it felt strange. "Still didn’t have the inkling at all that anything was really, really wrong until they walked in the door. And then I knew something was wrong… It just was like, ‘No, not him,'" Ty's mom Jodi recalls. Now, the Kronlage family hopes sharing their son's tragedy helps those struggling with mental health and suicide get the help they need. Ultimately, the they want Ty's story to save lives. WTBA is incredibly grateful to the Kronlage family for being willing and open to speaking publicly. Their poise through immense pain while maintaining hope for the future is inspiring. With this being Construction Suicide Prevention Week, please take a moment to watch their story and share it with anyone who may need it.

One of the most satisfying parts of WTBA's Contractor-Engineer Conference happens just after dinner the first night. We take a few moments to celebrate the potential industry leaders of the future -- awarding them one of four WTBA Scholarships, while also hearing a little bit about their journey, their goals, and what winning means to them. The process to get to that night starts TODAY! Applications are now open for the 2024-25 WTBA Scholarships. We'll award two $5,000 and two $3,000 checks to four impressive students. Head to wtba.org/scholarships for more information and share with any deserving youngster you know!

Frankly, we're not surprised (our members do some incredible work) but we're definitely happy! Congratulations to the folks at Michels Corporation / Michels Road & Stone, Inc., its many fantastic subs, the engineers at HNTB, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation for winning AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials)'s Mid America regional award for safety on a large project with the Zoo Interchange's North Leg. Completed late last year, the project expanded the critical freeway, rebuilt interchanges, and improved mobility and safety in one of the most important corridors in the state. We featured the ribbon cutting here: https://lnkd.in/eCwTVQy5 This puts the team up for competition on the national level, to be announced in October. As we always say, our members don't do this work to win awards but it's certainly a great feeling to get the recognition. Congrats again!