April 2, 2026

By Lane Kimble

MADISON — After 23 weeks of drivers in Madison seeing lane closures, heavy machinery, and longer commute times, Dan Bauknecht sees something else: Progress.

“That’s about as good as you can get.  I’m very happy with that,” Bauknecht said, standing in front of newly placed concrete girders.

The WisDOT project engineer in charge of the significant John Nolen Drive bridge replacements gave WTBA staff an update during a brief site visit Wednesday afternoon.

He says the contractors have been key in keeping the $45 million project on-schedule. Crews worked through almost the entire winter, allowing for a phase change this summer and a new closure to begin Monday.

Crews will close southbound Broom Street on April 6 to begin placing a box culvert underneath existing railroad tracks.

By mid-July, prime contractor Zenith Tech, Inc. (Walbec Group) and sub Edgerton Contractors aim to have the southbound structures finished, allowing work to switch over to the northbound side and move all traffic to the south side. ZTI’s schedule has them finishing all structure work before the end of 2026.

“They’ve always been great to work with,” Bauknecht said of the WTBA members working the job. “I knew (this project) was going to be a challenge and I think it’s going well. Any time you can stay on schedule in a project of this size, that’s a good thing.”

Work to replace the causeway’s six aging bridges and pothole-filled pavement began in October. The City of Madison received $15 million from the federal government to go with its own $30 million set aside for the work.

Nearly 50,000 vehicles cross the John Nolen bridges every day to get into and out of downtown Madison, making this project especially important to be done well and done as quickly as possible.

Once final paving and site restoration is complete in early-to-mid 2027, Bauknecht expects to see bridges that last the next 50 to 75 years.

“If it doesn’t outlive me, I’ll have something to answer for,” Bauknecht said with a laugh.