Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association

05/27/2026

Want to get a whole new perspective on a bridge you've driven over thousands of times? Take a walk with the construction crew working to make it better for the 80-90,000 vehicles crossing it daily.

That's what WTBA did on I-94 in Hudson last week with WI Rep Shannon Zimmerman, as part of our WTBA of Tomorrow "Behind the Barrels" summer series.

05/22/2026

Uh, yeah, please don't do this, folks.

Those signs aren't just there to protect our workers - they're also to keep you safe and prevent stuff like this.

What a mess.

FEELING STUCK: A motorist in Milwaukee County recently cemented their inability to adhere to signs after physically removing a “road closed” barrier and proceeding to drive into freshly poured concrete at the I-41/894/US 45 and National Avenue interchange.

Crews place barricades and signs for your safety and theirs. Please – never remove or ignore “road closed” or any other types of barriers… or this might happen to you!

05/22/2026

Cars and trucks filled a parking lot outside American Family Field as the smell of brats and hot dogs wafted through the air, despite the NL Central-leading Brewers having an off day Thursday.

More than 100 contractors, engineers, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff packed into the Tailgate Haus to cheer on another cause close to everyone’s hearts.

The first-ever I-94 East-West Safety Tailgate was a chance for men and women from all walks of the industry to connect, share stories and a meal, and unite under a common goal of work zone safety.

“This is a challenging project, there’s a lot of expectations on a project like this,” WisDOT Southeast Freeway Section Chief Jason Roselle told the crowd. “It requires maximum focus and consistency to make sure this project is successful.”

Work to expand and modernize 3 ½ miles of I-94 running past American Family Field began in 2025, but this year marks the first full construction season for the massive undertaking.

Prime contractors Zignego Company and Zenith Tech, Inc. (Walbec Group) were well represented, along with subs such as Edgerton Contractors, Inc.

“When I look at this event, it's for the mom or the dad that’s on the roller and the cousin or brother that’s on the paver,” Walbec Executive VP of Operations Brian Enders said. “They’re trying to get home to somebody they care about and someone that cares about them.”

The two-hour tailgate included a short program, a fully catered lunch from Brewers concessions staff, plenty of swag and freebies, and the chance for photos with Bernie Brewer.

Enders hopes attendees used the short break from work to level set on what really matters most.

“Many years from now, we will never remember if we were five days late to get that project done or if it costs a few extra dollars because we had to put a few more barrels out there,” he said. “If we lose somebody on a project, that’s something we’ll never forget."

05/20/2026

Shannon Zimmerman has crossed the St. Croix River on the I-94 bridges too many times to count.

He’s just never experienced it like this before.

“It’s stimulation overload. There’s cars going every which direction,” Zimmerman said.

The state representative from River Falls found himself walking on the freeway bridge Monday afternoon. Prime contractor Lunda Construction Company showed WI Rep Shannon Zimmerman around their multi-stage worksite as part of the latest WTBA of Tomorrow site visit.

Lunda is replacing modular joints, doing an epoxy overlay, and painting the bridges that connect Hudson, Wisconsin with Lakeland and Stillwater, Minnesota.

The project maintains three lanes of traffic going east. Meanwhile, one westbound lane crosses over to the eastbound bridge and another westbound lane is open on the other side of the work zone.

“It’s one thing to be in a vehicle when you’re going through that zone, it’s a very different thing to be outside that vehicle,” Zimmerman told WTBA. “It made me think about the safety element for the workers who are out there every single day.”

Zimmerman got to meet some of those workers, including Lance Wallis, Jason Sterry, and Lunda Area Manager Josh Simonson.

“I just wanted him to see the challenges that sometimes we’re put in,” Simonson said. “When we’re trying to get concrete truck deliveries and full-sized semis to deliver equipment, it gets challenging.”

Between 80,000 and 90,000 vehicles cross the river daily, serving as a direct artery between the Twin Cities and the rapidly growing western part of Wisconsin. Crews are reminded of that volume by the constant whoosh of traffic going by on both sides.

“People get in these tight traffic jams, it actually slows them down, which is nice. Not so nice for the traveling public, but there’s always people that are not paying attention or speeding, so there’s always a risk there,” Simonson said.

All four stages are on track to be done in October. The nearly $10 million price tag and the temporary traffic congestion are well worth it to Zimmerman, especially after seeing it from a whole new perspective.

“When you can see the work that happens in a committee room hundreds of miles away and now you’re seeing the real work and the result of that, it’s incredibly gratifying,” Zimmerman said of his tour.

“There’s a few things you don’t ever compromise on: public safety and our roadways.”

05/18/2026

Let's be honest.

We know our members would show up whether it's 35 and sleeting or 95 and humid like the Everglades. They're made for working in the elements.

But it doesn't hurt that the weather was absolutely PERFECT for our Spring Sporting Clays Tournament late last week at The Highlands in Sheboygan County. Temps in the upper 60s, plenty of sun, and a slight breeze... well... hit the mark.

More than 150 folks from across our member companies and types gathered for a fantastic day of fun with a good dose of competitive nature mixed in.

Thanks to all who joined us! We look forward to seeing many of you in July when we trade shotguns for sand wedges at Trappers Turn.

05/08/2026

Time was running short.

You don’t keep the Green Bay Packers’ Chairman Emeritus waiting in the wings for long.

That’s when inspiration struck for Steve Baas, who was looking for a way to wrap up a panel discussion on transportation at the Construction Business Group's annual conference.

“Mark Murphy and the Packers didn’t win a Super Bowl overnight,” Baas said, gesturing to a smiling Murphy, who was standing in the back of the room. “Reaching our goal takes the same kind of commitment.”

Indeed, just as it took Murphy and former GM Ted Thompson time to develop Aaron Rodgers, draft stars like Clay Matthews, lure Charles Woodson to Green Bay, and win Super Bowl XLV, it will take a step-by-step, patient approach to fill a more than $1 billion transportation funding shortfall in Wisconsin.

“A little win here, a little free agent there, a little move here, and we’re eventually going to get there,” Baas said.

Baas was joined on his panel by Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Kristina Boardman, Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin Executive Director Debby Jackson, and Wisconsin Towns Association’s Joe Ruth. They were the final segment of the all-day conference in Madison prior to Murphy’s closing keynote address.

(Read more about the conference via the link in comments)

05/01/2026

"We can do everything we can but, at the end of the day, the traveling public needs to really pay attention in work zones. Our guys that work out here, they see the dangers every day."

Thank you to all of our crews (including but not limited to Forward Traffic & Marking, Lunda Construction Company, Michels Corporation, Vinton Construction, Walbec Group, and Zignego Company ) and our partners at Wisconsin Department of Transportation, ATSSA-American Traffic Safety Services Association Light the Hoan, and Operating Engineers Local 139 for their support in getting the word out during the 2026 Work Zone Awareness Week.

Safe actions save lives.

05/01/2026

Tragic news out of Madison overnight. We're extending our deep sympathies to the worker's family and coworkers, who are WTBA members. Even more devastating given we just traveled the state last week, pleading with people to slow down and pay attention in work zones. Please, show our crews the respect they deserve.

BREAKING: One man is in custody for a hit-and-run crash that killed a construction worker on Madison's East side.

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2026/05/01/madison-police-investigating-crash-with-injuries/

04/29/2026

The Cranberry Interchange gets its nickname from the vast array of surrounding marshes that grow the tart fruit, but there’s nothing bogged down about this construction site.

Crews are rapidly replacing two bridges, ramps, and improving stretches of freeway where I-90 and I-94 split.

“It’s an accelerated program to get to today’s date,” Hoffman Construction Co.'s VP of Estimating Brad Eberhardt explained.

You can say that again.

Hoffman bid on the project in late June 2025, when concepts were only about 30 percent complete. Less than a year later, they expect to be finished with the project before Memorial Day.

Monday, State Rep. Nancy VanderMeer connected with the contractors and engineers responsible for the expedited work as part of WTBA’s first member site tour of the 2026 season.

“This project really stood out to us (for Design-Build),” Wisconsin Department of Transportation Alternative Contracts Engineer Christine Krall said during an initial discussion at CORRE, Inc.'s office in Tomah. “They came up with much more innovation with how they were doing the schedule, so we really got to see the benefits of that come through.”

The interchange is one of WisDOT’s final pilot projects before the state begins using a new permanent Design-Build program, which was included in the 2025 state budget.

Instead of the traditional approach where contractors bid on a fully designed project as is, Hoffman (alongside engineering firms SRF Consulting Group, Inc., AECOM, and AET), took WisDOT’s schematics and offered alternative approaches. They also coordinated with sub-contractor Sheet Piling Services LLC on how to best build the bridges.

The finalized plan saved over an acre of wetlands, minimized traffic impacts, and improved safety, all while cutting about 300 calendar days from the project schedule.

“It gives the contractor and the designer the chance to go back and forth and essentially give the taxpayer the most bargain for their dollar,” SPS Project Supervisor Joel Anderson said.

That frequent brainstorming and strategizing should continue to grow and blossom all across Wisconsin. The permanent Design-Build program allows WisDOT to use up to $300 million every budget cycle on alternative delivery projects like the Cranberry Interchange.

“We talk about saving money and saving time, but the thing we have not done is lost quality,” Krall told VanderMeer. “We’re doing things quicker and faster, we’re showing innovation, but the quality is there or even better.”

04/27/2026

There isn’t a lot of space to work underneath the Highway 12 bridge in Whitewater.

Matt Gregg looked at it, looked at his project plans, and knew there was an issue.

“When we’re swinging an excavator underneath here and loading a truck, with our height clearance and our width restrictions it just made it too treacherous to try to get traffic through here,” Gregg said.

Gregg is Payne+Dolan’s (Walbec Group) project manager on the Highway 59 repaving job, which begins near the city limits, runs underneath the bridge and continues for several miles south toward Janesville.

Traffic control plans called for allowing vehicles to pass through the work zone under the overpass while crews worked to replace curb and gutter, drain tile, and do slope paving.

Gregg talked with WisDOT Project Leader Matt Smith and started bouncing ideas off each other.

“It’s one of those things we work together on,” Smith said, explaining he’s known Gregg for more than a decade. “Both Matt and I are safety-oriented. I have concerns for the workers’ safety and, at the same time, for the traveling public’s safety.”

The two came up with a good solution: fully close Highway 59 at the bridge but only while crews are actually working underneath.

Instead of a weeks-long closure, Payne+Dolan has been able to get their work done safely while only closing the road three or four times for short stretches.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Gregg said, crediting his long relationship with Smith as a key reason for their positive coordination.

“The guys get to focus on each other, which they should be doing in a work zone. Not worrying if a car’s trying to sneak around them or if a car’s behind them… That partnership is what I appreciate about working with Matt and his staff.”

The Highway 59 project as a whole will take until late-June, but Thursday marked the final time crews will need to close the highway.

“It’s the best of both worlds here,” Smith said. “When a job gets done safely, on time, correctly and everything else, that’s a win for everybody.”

04/24/2026

**NEW PODCAST AVAILABLE**

Sky Z. Capriolo wasn’t sure where to begin when she won election to the Milwaukee County Board in 2024.

“You quickly learn that around every corner is a very worthy cause and you can just drown in them,” Capriolo admitted.

The roads seemed like a pretty good place to start.

Originally from Minnesota, Capriolo spent decades living and working in Chicago where people drive notoriously fast. And yet, drivers in Milwaukee seemed to be even worse.

Tired of seeing preventable crashes, reckless driving, and injuries on local streets and highways, Capriolo launched a safe driving campaign.

She started handing out hands-free cellphone holders for drivers during public events. The freebies were a hit, so this year she’s expanding the campaign with free stuffed teddy bears wearing t-shirts that say “I care about safe driving.”

“One of the things I remember when I was probably in seventh grade, there was the push to wear seatbelts. Parents weren’t wearing seatbelts and my teachers told me, ‘Go home and tell your parents you need to wear a seatbelt.’ So, I think getting to kids at an early age is a really great idea,” Capriolo said.

It’s that commitment to safer roads for everyone that prompted WTBA to feature the now two-term Milwaukee County Supervisor on the latest edition of the “Road Trippin’ with WTBA” podcast.

Thanks, Milwaukee County Supervisor Sky Z. Capriolo for joining us!

Check out Episode 11: Staying in Her Lane available HERE (or wherever you get your pods. simply search "WTBA") > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-11-staying-in-her-lane/id1802663206?i=1000763315909