August 8, 2025
By Lane Kimble
After years of hard work and negotiations by WTBA staff, its members, consultant partners, and WisDOT, a formal piece of legislation opening the state to Design Build is nearly at hand.
WisDOT Assistant Deputy Secretary Joel Nilsestuen told the WTBA Board of Directors he has a preliminary package ready to present to lawmakers in Madison as soon as they return from summer recess.
That timeline would allow the bill to potentially work its way through committees, the Assembly and Senate, and ultimately to the governor for a signature before the fall session ends in December.
Design Build pairs construction with engineering early on in the project process as opposed to keeping them separate, as is typically the case with Wisconsin’s heavy highway work. Design Build can lead to innovative approaches, better communication, cost and time savings.
Nilsestuen told the Board he appreciates all of their efforts and patience as all parties negotiated for something they could find consensus on.
Earlier in the day, Nilsestuen and Bureau of Project Development Director Brandon Lamers testified before the Assembly Transportation Committee on a required report following the completion of one of the state’s six Design Build pilot projects.
Crews finished the College Avenue bridge replacement in Grand Chute in October 2024. WisDOT’s report shows using Design Build saved time by fully closing the bridge during construction, limited impacts on local businesses, and ultimately saved money.
The report also found room for improvement in the Design Build process, namely delegating more oversight to the design build team, improving systems for change orders and payments, and setting stipend amounts earlier (before the RFQ.)
There are six total projects in the Design Build Pilot pipeline, including the new Highway 130 bridges in Lone Rock, US 45 in Clintonville, US 51 in Marathon County, the I-90/94 Cranberry Interchange near Tomah, and I-94 bridge replacements in Jefferson County.
Initial I-94 East-West Lettings Set for September 9
One of the state’s most anticipated and talked about expansions will see its first letting in September. Two legs of the I-94 East-West project in Milwaukee County will be up for bids on September 9.
WisDOT’s leadership team highlighted updates on three large-scale projects coming down the pike during the Board meeting.
There will be mandatory pre-bid meetings for the initial I-94 East-West work Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at State Fair Park’s Tommy G. Thompson Youth Center.
Elsewhere, WisDOT has consultant solicitations out for the I-39/90/94 expansion between Madison and Wisconsin Dells, which the 2025-27 state budget authorized to proceed.
In northwest Wisconsin, RFQs went out last week for the $1.8 billion Blatnik Bridgereplacement connecting Superior and Duluth, Minn., which will be a Design Build project.
The deadline for Blatnik RFQ questions is Oct. 3.
