July 3, 2024
By Lane Kimble
MEQUON, Wis. — With part of her nearby home undergoing renovations, Deb Andraca felt… well… right at home this morning as she walked around a freeway construction project.
“It’s always better (when it’s finished), just like when you’re doing a home project, right? You have to live through the mess, but in the end you’re really pleased with the results,” Andraca told WTBA.
The State Rep. from Whitefish Bay joined State Sen. Duey Stroebel to tour Zignego Company’s $69.5 million portion of the massive I-43 North-South freeway project. WTBA and its WTBA of Tomorrow Board coordinated the visit.
Wrangling 100,000 tons of base course, 22,000 linear feet of storm sewer, while paving a whole lot of cubic yards of concrete as freeway traffic screams past is no small task.
Zignego is managing 10-12 major subcontractors to try and get the project done on time and done right.
“It’s just really amazing, when you see all the coordination that’s necessary. From the planning, getting it all on paper, it’s a whole lot different than when you’re actually out here in the field doing it… It’s kind of like a symphony,” Sen. Stroebel said.
The project also involves a freeway overpass and box culvert at Mequon Road, which Zenith Tech crews are handling. Next year, they’ll tackle the southbound lanes.
Despite a ton of rain throughout the spring and now summer (in fact, rain today prevented Zignego from showing active paving operations), the contractors say they’re only slightly behind schedule, but can make up for it with a dry stretch ahead.
That’s music to Rep. Andraca’s ears.
“It can be rough at times, but I just have to say that when I was elected I thought I would hear a lot more about this project than I have from my constituents. It’s been managed well, it’s been managed efficiently,” Andraca said.
“As frustrating as it might be on occasion to get from Point A to Point B, we all know that you’re making the roads better, you’re making them safer, and it’s going to be much much better in the end.”
