March 29, 2024

By Lane Kimble

LODI, Wis. — It feels a bit like deja vu for Becky Woller’s Integrity Grading & Excavating crews: shift interstate traffic to the other side of the freeway, tear down a bridge, and build a new one.

Oh, and do it all before Memorial Day Weekend while managing a corridor where 60,000 vehicles pass through every day.

No problem.  They’ve done this before.

“Being where it is located, with a lot of traffic going north and south here, it’s high-profile.  DOT’s been really happy with us.  I think it’ll stand out,” Woller said.

The Highway 60 Interchange project is a source of pride for Integrity Grading & Excavating.  Last spring, the team – along with sub contractors like Zenith Tech, Inc. – finished the northbound lanes of the I-39/90/94 bridge over Highway 60 four days ahead of their Memorial Day deadline.

This year, the confidence level is high to finish in time – if not early – again.  A mild and largely snowless winter allowed for an earlier start to the southbound side.

The six-lane overpass (which offers room for eight lanes if WisDOT decides it’s needed in the future) complements a much safer system of diamond-shaped ramps and two roundabouts, which IGE handled in the early phases of the three-year build.

Woller credits the companies’ successes on effective communication and unity between IGE, its subs, WisDOT, and engineers like MSA’s Jon Maxwell.

“Our overall goal should be the same: building top-quality infrastructure for the state of Wisconsin, for the people of Wisconsin… and as long as we stay focused on that, there’s really not a challenge that can’t be overcome,” Maxwell said.

The Thursday before Memorial Day will arrive quickly – less than two months to go.  There’s a good deal of work left to do before then, but Woller expects the interstate to be wide open come the holiday weekend.

“We push hard.  We’ve been pushing hard.  The subs have been pushing hard.  Yeah – we’re going to hit that date,” Woller said with a smile.