Friday, August 14, 2026

Your go-to source for Association and transportation industry news, notes, and need-to-knows

NEWS & NOTES

Blatnik Bridge renderings, designs unveiled

The new Blatnik Bridge linking Superior to Duluth, Minnesota will look similar to the existing one with some much-needed upgrades and design improvements.

MnDOT, WisDOT and contractors unveiled renderings of the designs Wednesday night.

The bridge will feature its notable center arches but will also include a protected 12-foot-wide biking and pedestrian path with rest areas and overlook stops in addition to a reconfigured interchange on the Wisconsin side.

MnDOT posted the presentation documents and a computer-animated flyover of the new bridge on its project webpage.

Crews led by a joint venture between Ames and Kraemer North America will build the bridge along the existing alignment, which means the current Blatnik will close for demolition in December.

Construction is expected to run from 2027 through 2031.

The estimated cost to replace the bridge was $1.8 billion, with about $1 billion in federal money supplementing $400 million each from Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, Ames-Kraemer’s winning bid came in well below that, around $939 million.

WisDOT says it’s possible the reduced price will result in freed-up borrowing power in future state budgets but that’s left to be seen, the department told WTBA.

Race for governor set after tight Democratic primary

Matchups are now set for Wisconsin’s gubernatorial election this fall.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly edged democratic socialist Francesca Hong to win the Democratic nomination for governor in Tuesday’s primary election.

Crowley’s win marked a wild and unexpected comeback (based on polling that consistently showed Hong with a significant lead) just one month after he dropped out and re-entered the race. Gov. Tony Evers endorsed Crowley upon his reentry.

Congressman Tom Tiffany easily fended off challenger Andy Manske to win the Republican ticket for governor. Tiffany received President Trump’s endorsement early and has spent the summer traveling the state, raising money, and preparing for the general election.

Crowley will run on the ticket with Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski as his Lieutenant Governor, who ran unopposed Tuesday. Tiffany’s running mate will be former Lancaster mayor David Varnam. Varnam beat Will Martin, who served in the Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker administrations.

Wisconsin’s primary election also locked in matchups for a handful of state Senate and Assembly races expected to be closely contested and which will determine party control of both chambers. This is especially important as the state heads into a new budget season for 2027-29.

The general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can check your voter registration status, see what's on your ballot, and more at myvote.wi.gov.

EVENTS & REMINDERS

REGISTER TODAY: WTBA Fall Meeting will provide deep dive into projects, politics and more

Tuesday’s primary election results served as a possible omen: expect the unexpected in the general election.

That’s why you’ll want to make sure you’re in Madison on another Tuesday coming up.

Registration is now open for the WTBA Fall Meeting set for Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.

The afternoon-long conference will include WisDOT taking a look at preliminary lets and quantities for the 2027 season, top-ranking state lawmakers talking about how they view transportation funding, and much more. An agenda and further details will be available in September.

In a year where we’ll elect a new governor for the first time since 2018, several Congressional races that will draw national attention, and the control of the Legislature hanging in the balance, you won’t want to miss the event that puts all of it into perspective for our industry.

WTBA members can sign up for the discounted price of $150. Non-members pay $200 per person. (Please note the new location this year: The Madison Marriott South just off the Beltline Highway along John Nolen Drive.)

Click HERE to register. We look forward to seeing you for a fascinating day!

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

(VIDEO) Massive machines helping WTBA members reshape Port of Green Bay

Zenith Tech, Inc. site superintendent Keith Keskimaki gestures during a WTBA-led lawmaker tour at the Port of Green Bay. Click the thumbnail above to check out the highlights!

Between his smiles, engaging questions, and frequent selfie-snapping, you could easily tell State Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner was excited to be here.

The former chief of staff to Green Bay’s mayor was thrilled to see construction equipment begin transforming a former power plant site into a modern and expanded shipping port. Rivera-Wagener remembers years of debate and negotiations to get this off the ground.

“This just seems like a miracle of modern technology,” Rivera-Wagner told WTBA. “This is really the most exciting example of what government can do when it’s focused on improving people’s lives and not on the petty politics that kind of saturate our national dynamics.”

(Watch the highlight video by clicking the thumbnail above)

Crews are using towering cranes and a 45,000-lb. hammer nicknamed “Baby King Kong” to drive massive metal pipes deep into the Fox River to build a 2,000-foot-long dock wall.

Meanwhile, excavators on barges are dredging 200,000 cubic yards of material to make the port deep enough for the massive ships that will be able to use it.

Zenith Tech, Inc. won the prime contract and was able to keep everything in the Walbec Group family by using Northeast Asphalt as a grading and paving subcontractor, saving taxpayers millions, the company tells WTBA.

WTBA’s Elise Nelson led Rep. Rivera-Wagner and a group of bipartisan lawmakers on the site visit. It was one stop in a series of six-project tours across the state that WTBA staff are coordinating with WTBA of Tomorrow council members this summer.

I-894 resurfacing wins AASHTO Midwest Region award, eligible for national prize

An innovative, time-saving, and safety-ensuring approach to repaving a Wisconsin freeway has earned WisDOT and its contractors some national recognition.

The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) selected the multi-year I-894 resurfacing project in Milwaukee County as one of its regional award winners for 2026.

The project was recognized as one of the best uses of technology and innovation in a medium-sized project (between $10 million and $100 million) across the Midwest. It is among 12 regional winners and the only project from Wisconsin.

WisDOT coordinated with prime contractor Zignego Group and paving subcontractor Payne+Dolan (Walbec Group) to fully close directions of the busy freeway over several weekends in 2024 and 2025.

The closures allowed crews to mill, pave on echelon, and stripe long stretches of road in a matter of days instead of weeks or even months. Payne+Dolan actually finished about five hours before the deadline last June.

WTBA featured the work in two videos, which you can watch HERE (2025) and HERE (2024).

The top-three scoring winners from each region now advance to the national Top 12, which will be announced in early September. Then, an independent panel of judges will choose a Grand Prize winner, while public voting selects a People's Choice Award.

Both of those final awards will be announced at AASHTO’s Annual Meeting in November.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

Senate passes CR to potentially fund government through Dec. 11

Congress may avoid another government shutdown when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, but the chances of a new five-year surface transportation plan happening before then are slim.

The Senate easily passed a “continuing resolution” last Saturday to keep funding the federal government through Dec. 11.

The CR prorates transportation spending limits for FY2027, extends the window to award unobligated Highway Infrastructure Program money, and prevents Highway Trust Fund contract authority from lapsing, AASHTO says.

However, the Senate’s version of the CR is significantly different from a previously approved House version, which means Representatives in that chamber will need to reconcile their bill with the Senate’s when they return from August recess.

The current surface transportation law, known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by then-President Biden in 2021, expires Sept. 30.

Industry groups including AASHTO and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association continue to urge lawmakers to craft a new five-year measure that keeps projects on schedule and allows states to plan budgets well into the future.

FHWA's McMaster tours Wisconsin River Bridges

FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster speaks with WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman during a tour of the Wisconsin River Bridges. (Courtesy FHWA)

The Federal Highway administrator got a personal look at the importance of a major reconstruction in Wisconsin this summer.

FHWA Admin. Sean McMaster recently toured the Wisconsin River Bridges project on I-39/90/94. He joined WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman, the project’s prime contractor, and engineering lead HNTB for the tour.

McMaster talked about the importance of work zone safety and how federal funding can bolster critical projects, such as the bridges, which WTBA had the opportunity to visit in late-June.

The administrator's visit comes shortly before a major milestone for the project. Crews will shift all traffic to the newly built northbound lanes sometime Wednesday night, August 19. That will allow contractors to begin demolition on the southbound bridge. Construction is on track to finish in 2028.

The group also discussed the upcoming Design-Build project to replace the Mirror Lake Bridges, which will be an early piece of the 67-mile reconstruction of the interstate between Madison and Wisconsin Dells.