Archives for October 2024

WisDOT publicly releases 2025 projected lets & quantities

October 18, 2024 by Lane Kimble

Expect a significant number of additional road projects in 2025 but not a big increase in materials.

That’s the takeaway from projected lets and quantities WisDOT shared with WTBA this week. Department leaders highlighted much of the data during sessions Oct. 3 at WTBA’s Fall Meeting in Madison.

The spreadsheet shows WisDOT planning for 456 projects between July and next June, a marked increase over the 344 let this past year. However, the table also lists a significant decline in excavation projections (down 30%) and milling.

Concrete, asphalt, bridge deck, base course, and other projected quantities are all up slightly over FY2024 but remain below the five-year average.

Click HERE to download and view the latest projections spreadsheet. Tab 1 lists the summary and Tab 2 details specific projects.

You can view Fall Meeting slide decks via this article.

“I really have to say… thank you”: Construction company president hopes sharing near-death story helps Heart Association save lives

October 18, 2024 by Lane Kimble

MADISON, Wis. — Late one Friday night last summer, Carl Johnson woke up in agony.

“I’m on the floor on my hands and knees clutching my chest with just the worst chest pain you’ve ever felt in your life,” Johnson recalls.

His wife called 911 and got him to the hospital where doctors scanned Carl’s heart and discovered something was terribly wrong. Within days, Johnson was having open-heart surgery to repair a ruptured aorta, enlarged to the size of a Coke can, and damaged heart valve.

The young father and Stark Pavement Corporation president knows he’s incredibly lucky to be alive.

“I have a brand new, mechanical carbon-ceramic titanium valve that, when it’s nice and quiet you can even hear it tick, so it’s kind of a fun party trick,” Johnson said in his trademark tongue-in-cheek style.

Safe to say Johnson’s story quieted an energetic crowd of several hundred Thursday night enough to nearly hear that ticking.

Johnson was the guest speaker at the American Heart Association’s “Hard Hats With Heart” event, held in the Wisconsin Aviation hangar at the Dane County Regional Airport.

JT Engineering was the presenting sponsor and WTBA was one of several dozen additional sponsors.

The annual event raises money to research heart disease and cardiovascular issues thanks to generous construction industry members’ donations and auction bidding. It also provides contractors and employers with information to provide healthy food options, promote physical activity during breaks, implement stress-reducing programs and provide CPR education and training.

“I’m incredibly grateful to even be here talking to you guys… a lot of people aren’t so lucky,” Johnson said.

The AHA has helped make significant headway in saving lives during its 100 years in existence, but the construction industry is still vulnerable to cardiovascular risks.

One in three construction workers use tobacco, one in 25 have diabetes, and one in 25 (343,000) have cardiovascular disease, according to AHA data.

Johnson hopes his story encourages people to take care of their bodies, research and understand their family’s medical history, and–ultimately–listen to their heart.

“You can do everything right. You can have all the right lifestyle choices, you can do all the right things that they tell you to do and you can’t change your genetics,” Johnson said. “I really have to tip my cap and say thank you to the American Heart Association for continuing to do all this work to pour into improving the outcomes of patients like me.”

Lawry named new WisDOT Deputy Secretary

October 11, 2024 by Lane Kimble

MADISON, Wis. — Decades of service and hard work in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation have paid off for Scott Lawry.

Monday afternoon, WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman named Lawry as the new Deputy Secretary.

Lawry has been part of the Department’s leadership team for nearly a decade, first spending four years as Bureau of Technical Services Director, then as Division of Transportation Systems Development (DTSD) Deputy Administrator since December 2021.

Lawry graduated from UW-Madison in 1990 with a civil engineering degree. He worked his way up through the Department, first as an intern and then as a staff engineer, project manager, and supervisor in the DTSD Southwest Region office.

Lawry’s priorities echo many of the ones Boardman announced when she replaced Craig Thompson last month. He wants to focus on improving safety for drivers and road builders, strengthening the workforce, responsibly managing the transportation budget, and harnessing new technology.

Lawry has two grown children and two grandsons. He enjoys spending time with his significant other (Michelle), family and friends, and cheering on the Wisconsin Badgers.

WTBA extends a hearty congratulations to Lawry, who has been a familiar face in WTBA Board Meetings and at Association events, including the annual CE Conference.

UHPC is a sight to see: Lunda, MCC handle first-ever bridge deck pouring in Wisconsin

October 10, 2024 by Lane Kimble

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — The descriptions were wide ranging.

“Very odd… like glue,” Berl Bolle said.

Brad Diener chose a different analogy.

“If you’ve got children, it’s very similar to kinetic sand,” Diener explained.

One thing’s for certain: the possibilities of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) are vast.

“This isn’t your grandpa’s concrete,” Bolle added with a smile.

This week, Lunda Construction teamed up with MCC, Inc. to pour the first UHPC bridge deck overlay in the state’s history. WisDOT chose to use the relatively newconcrete on a two-lane bridge carrying Townline Road over I-41 in Fond du Lac.

“We definitely did rehearsals for the rehearsal, sent folks out to jobs to get familiar with the product because we want it to be successful,” Diener, who is Lunda’s Regional Manager, told WTBA.UHPC takes longer to produce than traditional concrete, but it’s much stronger. It supports up to 20,000 PSI compared to about 4,000 and reaches that strength in just 48 hours instead of 28 days.

Bolle, MCC’s Concrete Division General Manager, says the coordination between Lunda, MCC, WisDOT, and supplier Ductal has been fantastic on this project.

“When I get a chance to do something new and represent MCC, I’m all over it,” Bolle said of working with UHPC for the first time. “I think if we do everything right, it’s going to perform very well.”

As with anything new, the project is drawing a lot of attention from many different people. Check back next week for WTBA’s latest video to find out who’s paying particular interest and how Lunda is making sure to commemorate the inaugural experience.