Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association

08/21/2026

More than 2.1 million fans have gone to see the Brewers at American Family Field so far this season.

Jordan Swanson knows plenty of them are also watching his work.

“The interchange is right outside their front door,” Swanson said of the Brewers’ home field.

“Lots of people come to this state to go to that stadium, so to be part of building a nice looking roadway that’s clean and updated and not falling apart is awesome.”

Swanson is the Director of Engineering for Edgerton Contractors, Inc., one of the main subcontractors on the massive I-94 East-West reconstruction.

He helped lead a project tour with prime contractor Zignego Company, WTBA staff, WisDOT, and a half-dozen state lawmakers Thursday as thousands of cars whooshed by along I-94. Many were headed to AmFam Field for a matinee against the Mariners.

“It’s tough. The constant noise of the interstate, the traffic, you’ve really got to focus on the work you’re doing because it’s kind of all consuming sometimes,” Swanson said.

Crews started work last fall to expand 3 ½ miles of the interstate from six to eight lanes, replace pavement and bridges that are 60 years old, and convert the Stadium Interchange into a diverging diamond. They won’t be done until at least 2033.

“If you could close the freeway completely, it would be way cheaper and way faster, but you can’t just shut traffic off,” Swanson said.

Beyond the logistical impossibilities of closing a major freeway that 175,000 vehicles use daily, there’s the financial challenge, Southeast Freeways Construction Chief Jason Roselle explained.

The state has to break up the $1.7 billion project into financially manageable chunks, with three or four more major portions left to bid.

“I know there’s construction fatigue,” Roselle told the group of lawmakers. “But it’s a really good thing that we’re getting all this funding and we’re able to do these projects because there’s a lot of infrastructure that needs work.”

Tour leaders stressed to lawmakers that continuing to fund the Southeast Mega program will be critical to keeping I-94 East-West on schedule.

“We’re building this for your safety and eventually this will help you get from point A to B faster,” Zignego Group Project Manager Justin Thomas said. “It will be a long corridor project, but we are out here every day and it’s going to be great when it’s done. Patience is key for everyone involved.”

Overall project completion is still seven years off.

Swanson understands that’s a long time–and a lot of Brewers seasons–for drivers to put up with cones, barricades and delays but he knows the finished product will turn frustration into fandom for anyone who uses I-94 for generations to come.

“When it’s nice and (the roadway design) makes sense and it feels safe, that’s a good thing. I want Wisconsin to look that way,” Swanson said. “When my friends come in from out of state, they’ll say, ‘Man, you’ve got nice roads,’ and I’ll be able to say I helped build those roads.”

(Thanks to State Representative Robyn Vining, Rep. Adam Neylon, Rep. Margaret Arney, Rep. Angelito Tenorio, and several other lawmaker staffers for taking the time to see this project up close with us yesterday!)

08/18/2026

AW Oakes & Son generally keeps its fleet of easy-to-spot, bold yellow trucks within a one-hour radius of the home office in Racine.

“We kind of pride ourselves on being that neighborhood contractor,” project manager Connor McMahon explained. “These are the towns we live in.”

It doesn’t get much closer to home than Highway 31.

“We’re legitimately a stone’s throw from the job,” McMahon said.

Indeed, the 1.5-mile full reconstruct of the busy westside corridor is less than a mile away from the Oakes headquarters. McMahon led WTBA staff, Wisconsin State Representative Greta Neubauer, and Rep. Tip McGuire on a tour of the two-year project Monday afternoon.

As prime contractor, Oakes is handling about 80% of the work, doing its own grading, utilities, storm sewer, material processing and concrete on the $23.3 million job. The close proximity and ability to recycle materials nearby meant significant savings on trucking costs, helping Oakes secure the low bid.

“Us being so close was that $1.5 million advantage,” company president Max Oakes said. “You have a lot of outside contractors that are further away, buying from different resources. It is a hometown discount, per se.”

But checking out the Highway 31 progress–where fresh concrete pavement now runs along the northbound side–was actually the end of the tour.

Oakes and subcontractor Payne+Dolan (Walbec Group) first discussed transportation funding and workforce with the lawmakers, then showed them a mobile batch plant and crushing operations running in the company’s side lots.

“I love these tours,” said Rep. McGuire, who also sits on the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. “It helps visualize the things we hear from DOT and we hear from stakeholders about why the level of funding matters.”

Consistent and long term state funding for transportation doesn’t only mean paychecks for industry workers like Oakes’ 265 employees, it also means investing in tools to do the work faster and better.

The company bought a brand new $825,000 Wirtgen SP 25 paver from Roland Machinery Company for this project. The hybrid machine allowed them to lay curb and gutter, then turn around and pave a lane for traffic in one sitting.

“The Oakes family is never afraid to invest in equipment and technology, so long as there’s a use,” McMahon said. “You can keep up on technology, you can keep up on investing in the future when you know the future is strong.”

The Highway 31 corridor’s future should be bright when main construction work is finished in 2027. It will feature safer intersections, better traffic flow, and fully connected sidewalks for the people–and companies–who call Racine home.

“We always go above and beyond to provide that good product because that’s going to be ours, too. Highway 31 is a great example of that,” McMahon said. “We’re right here, we’re going to be jumping on it and hauling up and down it for the next two decades and then some.”

08/11/2026

You've gotta bring out the big equipment when you're driving 80-foot-long metal cans dozens of feet into the Port Green Bay soil along the Fox River.

Our members with the Walbec Group certainly have.

They're relying on what they call "Baby King Kong" to do that heavy pile driving, helping to transform the port for generations to come.

"It just seems like a miracle of modern technology," State Representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner said after a WTBA-led tour. "This is really the most exciting example of what government can do when it's focused on improving people's lives."

Check out the progress being made on a 2,000-foot dock wall that will welcome some massive ships in the future!

08/07/2026

The intersection of Highway 145 and County G in Washington County was about as quiet as a construction zone can be Thursday afternoon.

A mini excavator sat still while a few workers took a break and the only cars moving by were in and out of the garage of a nearby auto repair shop.

It’s the kind of work zone Bob Draths wishes he had all the time.

“We’re lucky here,” Draths told WTBA as he walked around the project.Lucky because signs and barricades fully close the well-traveled crossroads near Germantown while Draths and his prime contractor Musson Brothers, Inc. crews and subs build a roundabout.

Thursday was especially quiet because concrete was curing and Draths was waiting on final grading, paving, and electricians to come in, but the project has been a flurry of activity since construction started June 10.

“Sometimes it is a big inconvenience to the traveling public to shut a road down like this, but it allows us to get it done quicker, safer and for less cost,” Draths explained. “You can kind of put every dollar into the finished project right out of the gate.”

What could take six months or more to finish if the state required traffic flow, temporary roadway, and multiple stages instead can be finished in 2 ½, before the end of August.

That was welcome news to the three state lawmakers joining Draths and WTBA Director of Government Affairs Elise Nelson on the quick tour.

State Representative Dan Knodl, Representative Paul Melotik, and State Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin took advantage of the relatively peaceful site to bounce questions off Draths and Nelson about work zone safety, transportation funding, project design, and industry workforce.

“I’m so glad you invited us because this really is relationship building,” Habush Sinykin said. “This is so much better than sitting, talking in an office. It’s great to see this investment.”

The $1.8 million investment is far from the busiest or grandest project lawmakers can see during this summer’s WTBA legislative tours across Wisconsin, but it’s an important one nonetheless – vastly improving safety at a place that once had poor sight lines and numerous crashes.

For that, Draths is thankful and proud to explain loud and clear: these small projects add up to make a big difference.

“There’s obviously way more of these that go on than the big ones. People can stop and appreciate this, the people who drive through this drive through it all the time,” Draths said. “It’s really good to get these built for the local communities.”

08/03/2026

Honored to be a part of this month's League magazine edition. Check out our article on important safety changes we've worked toward as an industry on pages 19-20!

Change is constant in local government—and with it comes new opportunities to lead, adapt, and strengthen our communities.

The August issue of The Municipality explores how Wisconsin cities and villages are navigating change, from leadership transitions and emerging technologies to evolving communication strategies and the policies shaping local government.

Read the latest issue and discover ideas, insights, and real-world perspectives from communities across Wisconsin.

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/922180605/

07/30/2026

The ground under your feet quakes and the riverwater pulses, much like the scene in Jurassic Park when the T-Rex is about to emerge.

But it’s a different beast that’s helping transform the Port of Green Bay this summer.

“This isn’t the truly big ‘King Kong’, but it’s the ‘Baby King Kong,’ as we like to call it,” site superintendent Keith Keskimaki says, pointing to a huge yellow device hanging from a crane.

Don’t let the name fool you – this “baby” still weighs about 45,000 pounds, driving 80-foot-tall pile cans deep into the Fox River’s soil.

“They’re pretty good sized,” Keskimaki said of the cans. “Everything about this project is big.”

Keskimaki and his Zenith Tech, Inc. (Walbec Group) team are hard at work, turning the old Pulliam Power Plant site just north of the Leo Frigo Bridge into a modernized shipping port.

“Baby Kong’s” pile driving will help anchor a 2,000-foot dock wall, stretching 600 feet into the bay. The finished product will allow huge Great Lakes cargo ships to haul salt, coal, and other commodities into a place they never could before.

It’s the result of years of debate and negotiations between businesses, city, county, state and federal leaders on what to do with the century-old industrial area.

“It’s amazing just to see the progress. I remember this area just being a swamp, a polluted area that was a wasteland,” Senator Eric Wimberger told WTBA during a site tour Wednesday. WTBA Director of Government Affairs Elise Nelson coordinated with six state lawmakers to bring them into the work area and meet with crews.

Wimberger, who sits on the state’s budget-writing committee, pushed to include $20 million for the project in the 2023-25 state budget and helped ensure Brown County retained a $15 million grant, too.

“Someone will say, ‘Oh, we need this much money,’ and a lot of times people don’t have a concept of why,” Wimberger said. “Seeing this machinery, the massive size of the equipment and the materials puts in perspective why things cost, in this case, $50 million to achieve.”

Some of that massive machinery is out in the bay itself. ZTI crews are currently dredging 200,000 cubic yards of material to make the port deep enough for the large ships.

The combination of ZTI’s abilities and Northeast Asphalt’s grading and paving skills allowed the Walbec Group to win the project without any outside subcontractors, coming in millions below the next-lowest bidder.

Lawmakers were glad to meet Wisconsin-based companies with local employees doing the job.

“Green Bay has a history of being a blue-collar community,” State Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner said. “You come to Green Bay to work hard, and when you work hard you’re able to do cool things. The employers that are bringing these employees together to help build this community really is something special.”

This huge undertaking is still more than a year from completion. The dock wall and surrounding foundation needs to sit for at least six months once in-place before NEA can pave the area and ATC can move its electrical towers.

But by 2028, people living and working in the redeveloped port will be able to watch titanic ships float into the area thanks to WTBA-member work on a blockbuster project for Green Bay.

“Oh yeah,” Keskimaki said. “That’ll be something to see.”

cc: State Representative Benjamin Franklin, Representative Joy Goeben, Representative Shae Sortwell, and State Representative Ryan Spaude

07/23/2026

The orange barrels blocking off one lane in each direction along Highway 54 already sit very close to traffic.

Tony Straseske picked one up and moved it even closer.

“That’s where it needs to be when we’re patching here,” Straseske explained, placing the barrel about a foot over the centerline into the open lane.

As cars and semis headed east out of Wisconsin Rapids at 55 MPH–just inches from where we were standing–the Michels Corporation Road & Stone Senior Project Manager said signs, barricades, and barrels can only do so much to protect his crews.

“You get real busy and you can lose track of exactly where you are in the work zone,” Straseske said. “You might get a little too close to traffic, so there’s probably a factor of luck involved (beyond plans and preparation).”

Michels’ concrete patching and shoulder repair job on the state highway linking Rapids to Plover served as a good place to show media and WTBA the risks crews face on a daily basis.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation's North Central Region held a walk-and-talk tour Thursday for its turn at season-long work zone safety awareness events this summer.

It’s a different atmosphere than the incredibly loud and busy freeway jobs, but one that can be even riskier, lacking the space for barrier walls and other protections for workers.

“You might see people right up against the drums,” NC Region Supervisor Adam Osypowski said. “There’s usually one person working along that centerline spread down with his butt (facing) backward that’s going to be right between those drums. That’s all the room we have to work.”

Thankfully, there haven’t been any crashes due to construction since work began here in April.

Still, the risk is apparent. Seven people died and more than 600 were injured in more than 2,000 work zone crashes in Wisconsin last year.

“Those crashes, they’re life-changing and life-altering for the workers that are involved, for you as the motorist,” Wisconsin State Patrol Lt. Bryan Wrycha said. “The ramifications are far beyond the day of the crash and the lives you affect. As a motorist, you owe the workers out here that responsibility to pay attention.”

Straseske says he appreciates the concerted effort between WisDOT, WTBA and their partners to expand safety messaging beyond the national kickoff week in April, but he doesn’t feel like driver behavior has improved much in the past four years.

He’d like to see stricter laws that go beyond increased fines for work zone crashes, possibly even requiring jail or prison time for hitting a worker.

Straseske thinks that form of punishment would hit especially close to home.

“If you’re the person that gets run over, what would your family say about it?” Straseske said.

07/22/2026

Before digging into the dirt and dust of the ATV trails around central Wisconsin for some team building and camaraderie, the WTBA of Tomorrow dug into what’s become a messy primary campaign for governor.

The council’s annual Summer Meeting and Retreat yesterday kicked off with a fascinating Q&A session with WTBA's government experts Eric Petersen and Elise Nelson.

There was a lot to unpack, given the whirlwind of changes to the Democrat primary including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez suspending her campaign, David Crowley rejoining the race, and Gov. Tony Evers endorsing Crowley as Francesca Hong gains momentum.

Council members tapped into where various candidates stand on transportation funding and what a race between Trump-endorsed Congressman Tom Tiffany and several of those candidates could look like.

Then, it was time for some fun.

We geared up for a 42-mile ride on the roads and trails winding around the scenic Castle Rock Lake in Juneau County.

Special thanks to Adrenaline Rush Sports for the ATV rentals and fantastic guide service! (Plus, the welcome ice-cold water and wash station afterwards)

The WTBA of Tomorrow is made up of 17 rising stars in transportation construction who learn about the inner workings of state, local, and federal government and their roles in advocating for our industry.

Members include contractors, associates, and consultants. They'll next meet in November to review and select our new WTBA Scholarship winners.

07/20/2026

Canada’s wildfires and a North American heat dome may have interrupted another group’s day, but Mother Nature couldn’t stop WTBA members from crafting their own memories out of the summer’s biggest event.

There were some unforgettable drives, chips, and putts as 216 golfers hit Trappers Turn on Thursday afternoon for the annual WTBA Golf Outing.

Congrats to the Michels Corporation Road & Stone / Fabick Cat team of Ryan Ramthun, Zach Dittberner, Tyler Sternat, and Todd Stanley who smoked the competition with a -17 to win the overall best score.

Great to see so many awesome members at our fastest-selling event of the year!

07/15/2026

Wisconsin’s adoption of Work Zone Safe education for teen drivers reached thousands of new people in the nation’s capital last week.

Wisconsin FCCLA state advisor Julie Anderson joined program founder Tom Robins, Oklahoma Turnpike crew members, American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) representatives Isabel George, Jonas Howard, and Summer Herrington at an interactive booth during FCCLA’s National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

The booth helped teens understand Work Zone Safe’s overall message: there is a face and family behind every flag, cone, and flashing light.

In 2024, Wisconsin (thanks to WTBA’s legwork, leadership and nearly a dozen partners) became the second state in the nation to adopt Work Zone Safe education.

The online program provides a free, modernized look at what teens and young drivers can expect to encounter in work zones, teaching them through real-life stories of people impacted by crashes.

FCCLA has become a strong advocate for Work Zone Safe Wisconsin. The program encourages its thousands of members to take the course. Several FCCLA Wisconsin students have recently won $500 scholarships for successfully completing the program.

Learn more at WorkZoneSafe.com!