Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association

Bright blue sunny skies, temps in the mid-70s, and 250 friends and colleagues together in one spot... where else would you rather be? We had an incredible time hosting the WTBA Annual Golf Outing yesterday at Trappers Turn Golf Club. The course was in fantastic shape and we couldn't have asked for a better day. Congrats to our winning team of Carl Johnson, Tom Skelton, John Myers, and Ben Stanisch. At -17, they snuck past last year's champion team of Elise Nelson, Thor Wick, Theo Taylor, and Ross Squires by one stroke. Please enjoy some photos from the event. We'll see you in September for the Fall Sporting Clays Tournament!

The last time this guy was out of a job, the Packers hadn't yet won Super Bowl XXXI. Then, Kevin McMullen went on to run the Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association for 26 years. Perhaps the first full season WITHOUT Kevin at the helm will be good luck for the Green and Gold once again. WTBA wishes Kevin -- an industry legend -- a very well earned and happy retirement! Thanks for the invite to today's celebration. You'll be missed, but we know WCPA is in great hands with Jackie Spoor.

He’s 15, just got his temporary license, and wants to be a heavy diesel mechanic or heavy equipment operator after high school. But first, Dakoda Funk wants to make sure he’s protecting himself, other drivers, and the men and women working behind the orange cones in work zones. WTBA extends a heartfelt congratulations to Dakoda, who is our June “Work Zone Safe Wisconsin” scholarship winner. WTBA Exec. Director Steve Baas and exclusive scholarship sponsor Wisconsin County Highway Association (WCHA) Exec. Director Patrick Vander Sanden presented Dakoda with his $500 check at CESA 2's driver’s education annual staff meeting in Madison, just before Work Zone Safe founder Tom Robins began his presentation. “This is so important,” Baas said. “Our members decided to get behind this program and put this turnkey operation online where anybody anywhere in this state can take this course and learn to be a safer driver. I want to congratulate Dakoda and thank him and the hundreds of other students taking this course and equipping themselves to be smarter, safer drivers.” Dakoda is headed into his sophomore year at Milton High School. Unbeknownst to him, Dakoda’s driver’s ed instructor, Steve Steinke, was attending the the conference. He hopes other teens follow his lead. “They probably should, because most people don't know about all this stuff. And it gives you a chance to win $500,” Funk said with a smile. Want to learn more? Head to workzonesafe.com and click on the Wisconsin link to take the free online course 24/7/365.

Putting down 112,000 tons of base course, paving 70,000 cubic yards of concrete, while more than 65,000 cars and trucks pass daily can be complicated. “It’s a lot of quantity, but you just keep plugging through," Zignego Company, Inc. Project Management Director Jeff Kuhn admitted. That’s a modest way to say Zignego is juggling a lot. “It just takes a lot of coordination. It’s kind of like a symphony," State Sen. Duey Stroebel said. Yeah... We can get behind that analogy. It’s the term Stroebel came up with after touring the I-43 reconstruction project near Mequon this summer. WTBA of Tomorrow helped coordinate the tour with the senator and State Rep. Deb Andraca in late-June. Catch a recap vid below!

Cory Tomczyk was clearly enjoying himself – full of smiles and booming laughter – while walking a WTBA-member worksite in Wausau this week. “I’m a hands-on guy and I don’t mind getting dirty, but I need to do this more often,” Tomczyk said after an hour-long tour of Integrity Grading & Excavating, Inc.'s reconstruction job on Stewart Avenue.  “It’s really always impressive to see the great work.” Still, the State Senator from Mosinee had to shake his head when IGE crews showed him a prime example of the type of issue his Compensable Utility Delay bill (signed into law in December) aims to prevent.  A fiber line, which was supposed to be moved ahead of construction in April, lays right where crews plan to make a subgrade cut and widen the road to 36 feet. “My job is to make Madison help you guys get your job done better,” Tomczyk pledged. IGE says they’re working with the utility to get the line moved before it gets to the point of seeking compensation.  Instead, a very rainy spring and summer has been the bigger challenge, pushing IGE and its subs about two weeks behind schedule. The project replaces the aging asphalt along a 1.25-mile stretch into and out of downtown Wausau, places new water and sewer lines, and adds a multi-use path. “I think the pedestrians will like (the new path) a lot better and it’s a good local project,” IGE Operations Manager Brandon Barden told WTBA.  “It’s bringing some new stuff to homeowners, wider turning radiuses, so traffic should move more freely.” Barden is a member of the WTBA of Tomorrow Council.  Members are working with WTBA’s Director of Government Affairs Elise Nelson to line up lawmaker project tours all across Wisconsin this summer. Tuesday’s visit gave IGE President Dan Weinkauf the chance to thank Tomczyk for his efforts on the utility bill and offer him and State Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Schofield) some industry insights to ponder. “This particular project is so relevant for central Wisconsin, because you have Integrity here based right around the Wausau area, you’ve got subcontractors that are from central Wisconsin, so it really is a big impact for here, not only getting the road fixed but economically,” Snyder said. #bootsontheground #roadconstruction #wtbaoftomorrow

This is a vital corridor for the state's overall economy, its tourism, the people who live and work along here... the list goes on and on. Mark your calendars to learn more and submit comments in support of a potentially huge reconstruct of the 67 miles of I-39/90/94 between Madison and Wisconsin Dells. More info here >>> Some important upcoming dates to put on your calendar -- WisDOT will share more information and accept statements regarding the impact of a huge possible reconstruct of I-39/90/94 between Madison and Wisconsin Dells. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eGs6zv_t

With part of her nearby home undergoing renovations, Deb Andraca felt… well… right at home this morning as she walked around a freeway construction project. “It’s always better (when it’s finished), just like when you’re doing a home project, right?  You have to live through the mess, but in the end you’re really pleased with the results,” Andraca told WTBA. The State Rep. from Whitefish Bay joined State Sen. Duey Stroebel to tour Zignego Company, Inc.'s $69.5 million portion of the massive I-43 North-South freeway project.  WTBA and its WTBA of Tomorrow Board coordinated the visit. Wrangling 100,000 tons of base course, 22,000 linear feet of storm sewer, while paving a whole lot of cubic yards of concrete as freeway traffic screams past is no small task. Zignego is managing 10-12 major subcontractors to try and get the project done on time and done right. “It’s just really amazing, when you see all the coordination that’s necessary.  From the planning, getting it all on paper, it’s a whole lot different than when you’re actually out here in the field doing it… It’s kind of like a symphony,” Sen. Stroebel said. The project also involves a freeway overpass and box culvert at Mequon Road, which Zenith Tech (Walbec Group) crews are handling.  Next year, they’ll tackle the southbound lanes. Despite a ton of rain throughout the spring and now summer (in fact, rain today prevented Zignego from showing active paving operations), the contractors say they’re only slightly behind schedule, but can make up for it with a dry stretch ahead. That’s music to Rep. Andraca’s ears. “It can be rough at times, but I just have to say that when I was elected I thought I would hear a lot more about this project than I have from my constituents.  It’s been managed well, it’s been managed efficiently,” Andraca said.  “As frustrating as it might be on occasion to get from Point A to Point B, we all know that you’re making the roads better, you’re making them safer, and it’s going to be much much better in the end.”

Great event in a cool setting (aircraft hangar) for a crucial cause. Sign up today and we'll see you in October!

WTBA was proud to again help sponsor the WTS International East-West Classic in Madison today. Fantastic event and a great cause, helping support women in the construction industry through WTS’ scholarship fundraising. Lane had an excellent time playing with some of the HNTB team, including WTBA Consulting Council member Andy Kowske.

Construction sites are noisy places to begin with. Mix in jet engines? Yeah, it's gonna be loud. "There’s not too many places you can work where F-16s (or F-35s) take off a couple hundred feed from you… It’s unique," Michels Road & Stone, Inc. Project Manager Bradley Buechel said with a smile. The Dane County Regional Airport runways certainly create an impressive -- and sometimes distracting -- backdrop for the taxiway and hold bay replacement work going on this year. WTBA had a chance to check out the project during a tour a few weeks ago. It's a great example of how our members are impacting ALL facets of transportation -- not just roads, highways, and bridges. Thanks for showing us around!