Archives for January 2025

WTBA’s Grove wins Secretary’s Golden Shovel award for ‘above and beyond’ work with DBEs

January 31, 2025 by Lane Kimble

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — Moments before announcing the next WisDOT Golden Shovel award winner in a Wisconsin Dells ballroom, Tondra Davis caught herself.

“You don’t want to show preference, so I won’t,” Davis told the crowd with a laugh.

Still, it was obvious Davis has a lot of appreciation and respect for WTBA Director of Engineering Matt Grove.

Grove was one of seven people or companies to receive a Golden Shovel at the 2025 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Workshop and Networking Summit on Thursday.

“Matt, I’d like to thank you for your collaboration and support of the DBE program. And for casting its value to your WTBA members,” Davis said. “This has contributed greatly to our success. I’m so proud of the relationship we are building.”The awards recognize people, companies, and organizations who have gone above and beyond to make a difference for DBE firms in Wisconsin.

Other WTBA-member winners included Century Traffic and KL Engineering founder Kim Lobdell.

“Matt has consistently demonstrated strong support for the DBE program, effectively collaborating with prime contractors to explore additional opportunities for program enhancement,” Davis said. “He communicates updates and changes to the program in a timely and efficient manner, serving as a valuable resource for contractors and DBE firms alike.”

WTBA extends a hearty congratulations to Matt and the other award winners. It’s an honor and privilege to work with Matt and learn from his decades of experience and relationship-building.

Duffy confirmed as Transportation Secretary on bipartisan Senate vote

January 30, 2025 by Lane Kimble

The Senate confirmed former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy as the next Transportation Secretary on Tuesday. A bipartisan coalition voted 77-22 in favor of Duffy’s nomination.

Both Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) voted to confirm Duffy.

Vice President J.D. Vance swore in Duffy for his first full day on the job Wednesday, hours before the tragic collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C.

One of Duffy’s first acts earlier in the day was to rescind the Biden Administration’s Greenhouse Gas Measurement Rule, which had required state departments of transportation to measure and prioritize construction projects that lower carbon dioxide emissions on federally supported highways.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are focused on eliminating excessive regulations that have hindered economic growth, increased costs for American families, and prioritized far-left agendas over practical solutions,” Duffy said.

Duffy pledged to focus on “big, durable projects” during his Senate committee confirmation hearings earlier in the month. The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) celebrated Duffy’s confirmation.

“Sean Duffy is an excellent choice to serve as U.S. Transportation Secretary, and we look forward to working with him as he assumes his leadership role,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon.

“From reauthorizing the next federal surface transportation bill to enhancing safety, mobility, and quality of life in communities across the country, AASHTO members are eager to collaborate with the Trump administration and Congress to deliver an effective and efficient transportation network for generations to come.”

Trump administration’s federal funding freeze thawed… for now

January 30, 2025 by Lane Kimble

A second straight week of confusion and concerns over President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing federal grant spending appears to have finally settled down.

Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded a memo that originally ordered the broadly written freeze through mid-February.

States rely on billions in federal grants to pay for transportation projects every year. Federal funding accounts for about 25% of WisDOT’s budget.

Earlier in the week, Gov. Tony Evers issued a letter to the Trump administration urging the president to pull back the executive order. Evers is in the process of crafting his version of the two-year state budget, set for release Feb. 18.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) was in continual contact with the Trump administration after the president’s executive order Jan. 20 to stress the importance of not blocking transportation funding.

The “vast majority” of highway and transit programs will continue as normal, ARTBA reports, but money for new electric vehicle charging stations is still on hold.

Administration officials said the pause was necessary to review whether spending aligned with Trump’s executive orders on issues like climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the Associated Press reported.

Lunda’s Road America bridge project provides hands-on learning for area high schoolers

January 29, 2025 by Lane Kimble

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — It’s normally a 30-second task: Lift the concrete bucket with a crane and swing it to the other side of the job site without hitting anything.

Well, that task took six times as long on Tuesday. And it repeated over and over and over again.

Adam Schroeder didn’t mind, though. He knew that task could lay the foundation for future employees.

“It was a cool learning experience, the students definitely smiled,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder guided dozens of students from four eastern-Wisconsin schools through crane hand signal operations at Lunda Construction’s bridge replacement at Road America racing track.

The project gave Lunda a chance to get students in the field in a fairly controlled environment and get some hands-on education.

Check out live webcams of construction work at Road America HERE

“It was challenging–today especially–the wind was picking up a little bit… but I was instructing the operator there to do only what the students had for hand signals, so if they did it wrong or went past the designated drop zone, they had to stop the crane and bring it back to where it needs to be,” Schroeder said.

Those practical lessons–and a little tough love–had a positive effect on Neenah junior Coltin Potter. He said the crane signaling took a little getting used to, but was the coolest experience of the day.

“I find it a lot more valuable than just learning about it or anything like that inside of a classroom… you see what’s going on, get experience,” Potter said.

Lunda coordinated with Road America and Inspire Wisconsin (part of CESA 6) to plan out various stations and educational opportunities. That included a look at engineering and blueprints, plus a little Road America history.

“It’s getting more and more prevalent for contractors to host students on their job sites, so we wanted to have the opportunity,” Schroeder said. “Kind of cool to show what we do every day to someone who might not have ever seen behind the scenes.”