Lane Kimble

Long pants, winter hats, even a camouflage hunting jacket all were mandatory apparel on the golf course last Saturday.

The cold, cloudy day didn’t dampen the spirits, though, for Lunda Construction’s annual charity event, the Lunda Cup.

WTBA’s Steve Baas, Matt Grove and Lane Kimble were honored to play with Lunda Vice President (and WTBA Board of Directors 1st Vice President) Mike Hahn at Kilkarney Hills Golf Course in River Falls.

The crew battled windchills in the mid-30s and a seemingly never ending string of pars to shoot -3.  (Thanks, Matt, for carrying the team. Spoiler: we did not win, but still had an absolute blast!)

The Lunda Cup, in its fifth year, serves as a fundraiser.  Donations and proceeds go to the Wisconsin and Minnesota chapters of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  On-course games included putting, pitching and chipping contests, and a 50-50 raffle.

Final numbers aren’t in yet, but Hahn says Lunda raised more than $35,000.

Thanks to Lunda for hosting a fantastic and beneficial event!

DEFOREST, Wis. — Jeff Dudman’s red, white and blue sweatshirt calls on drivers to do two things: “move over and slow down.”

The sweatshirt also covers two kinds of pain: physical and emotional.

“Now that I’m thinking about it more, my shoulder hurts, my leg hurts, but it’s not the end of the world,” Dudman said.

Dudman was helping clear crashed and disabled cars for WisDOT’s Freeway Service Team along I-39 south of Madison during a snowstorm in early 2020.

“I looked up, my tow truck was coming at me, and there was a big blue semi pushing it,” Dudman recalled.  “I ran for the center barrier.  I’m old, a little overweight, I’m too slow but I didn’t get smushed too bad.  Just six cracks in my shoulder, bone bruise on my leg.”

Dudman knows plenty of other roadside workers aren’t as lucky, including two Wisconsin highway construction workers killed in 2024, not to mention the traveling public.  It’s why he agreed to share his story during WisDOT’s Southwest Region work zone safety news conference Monday.

“We are very lucky (Jeff) is alive to be with us today,” Southwest Region Deputy Director Randy Hoyt said.  “Jeff’s dedication to helping others while putting his life in danger is the definition of a hero.”

The event also comes ahead of a busy Memorial Day Weekend.  AAA estimates 840,000 people in Wisconsin will travel at least 50 miles.  WisDOT plans to shut down road construction projects Friday through Monday, but plenty of risks remain.

“Even if it looks like crews are done working, reduced speed limits are still in effect,” State Patrol Lt. Phil Witkiewicz said.  “Road conditions can be unpredictable under (construction) conditions and reduced speed limits help protect workers and drivers.”

State Patrol troopers have already issued more than 300 citations for speeding and reckless driving in work zones in 2025.  That number will likely skyrocket as the busy summer travel season begins, leaving Jeff Dudman reflecting on that wintry day five years ago.

“Now I drive a semi instead of being hit by one,” Dudman said.  “Sitting up there, everybody’s still got their cell phone out… Pay attention and slow your life down.”

Most teens who take the Work Zone Safe Wisconsin course do so because their driver’s education teacher required it.

Not so for our latest scholarship winner.

Evalin Hammett, 17, says her dad heard about WTBA’s program during a conference and told her about it, so she decided to take it herself.

Hammett says the innovative online course was an eye-opener.

“I was shocked at the huge number of injuries and deaths of road workers from car accidents each year,” Hammett told WTBA.  “I’m thankful for this scholarship and the helpful information I learned in the course.”

WTBA and a coalition of trade groups and member companies launched Work Zone Safestatewide in April 2024.  The free course guides students through what they’ll encounter in work zones and how to safely navigate them via stories from real people impacted by work zone crashes.

More than 2,000 people have taken the course so far.  Students who successfully complete the program can enter to win a monthly $500 scholarship, sponsored by the Wisconsin County Highway Association.

Hammett is a junior at Immanuel Lutheran High School in Eau Claire.  She hopes to become a pharmacist or physician’s assistant after college.