Archives for November 2024

A late-night crash leaves a wife without her husband, coworkers without their friend and colleague, and an industry with a hole in its collective heart.

Andrew Skupniewitz, a pavement grooving operator for Century Traffic, was hit and killed Friday, Nov. 1 while working along I-90 near Tomah.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says Isaac Morales Jr. lost control of his pickup truck after hitting the back of a semi, then crashed into Skupniewitz’s machine. Prosecutors charged Morales with six felonies, including first-degree reckless homicide, driving under the influence, and driving without a license.

Skupniewitz, 35, died at the scene.  He is survived by his wife, parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, and grandmother.

His family will hold a funeral Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at Grasse Funeral Service in his hometown of Pardeeville. Visitation begins at 11 a.m.  You can read his full obituary and find info on how to send flowers HERE.

WTBA extends its heartfelt condolences to Andrew’s family, friends, and coworkers.  His tragic death is yet another stark reminder of the dangers our crews face every day and the necessity that all of us slow down, pay attention, and respect the men and women working along our roads.

A federal court ruling against the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program now touches many more states, but it still does not impact work in Wisconsin at this time.

Late last week, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) announced Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove of Kentucky clarified his initial ruling.  The judge says his injunction blocks the program in all states where the plaintiffs do business, not just Kentucky and Indiana.

Mid-America Milling Company and Bagshaw Trucking sued to block the federal government from using the DBE program to award contracts, claiming it violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause based on race. Judge Van Tatenhove’s initial ruling came down in late September.

“In practice, the door to government contracting will open not only for our clients, but also for other firms,” WILL Associate Counsel Cara Tolliver said. “The DBE program’s days of sanctioning racial and gender discrimination are dwindling.”

The two companies also do business in Mississippi, Delaware, Alabama, Louisiana, Virginia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri, Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas, and portions of northern Florida.

However, Wisconsin is not on that list.

“The court says this is not a nationwide injunction as the term is understood because it is not applicable anywhere against anyone,” WTBA General Counsel Jodi Jensen advised. “This injunction applies to the parties to the litigation rather than a specific geographical area.”

WisDOT, for its part, said earlier this fall it intends to continue doing business and running its DBE program as it has been.

WTBA will continue to monitor the lawsuit and any developments as they happen.

WisDOT is providing WTBA and other industry leaders this week with a corrected version of projected quantities.

The Department says it accidentally flip-flopped asphalt milling and concrete grinding quantity columns when staff first released the projections earlier in October.

The corrected version shows nearly 14 million square yards of milling and about 55,000 square yards of grinding between July and the end of June 2025.  All other projections should be accurate.

You can download and view the updated version HERE.