Skilled Construction Trades and Respected Contractors
Building Wisconsin Together ®
Welcome to Construction Business Group's Industry Updates. This monthly e-newsletter will help us communicate the important initiatives that we have underway and relevant updates on issues that impact Wisconsin's construction industry.  
Message from Executive Director Robb Kahl
Deadline is TODAY for comments on I-94 East-West Project!
The I-94 East-West Corridor, which runs between the updated Marquette and Zoo interchanges, was originally built in the early 1960s. The corridor’s 1950s design, age, and ongoing deterioration result in congestion, safety, and economic development challenges. The average crash rate is two to three times higher than the statewide average. It is time to reconstruct this critically outdated and increasingly unsafe highway.
The latest data is clear. Traffic on the corridor has returned to near pre-pandemic levels. And the six-lane alternative, which costs almost as much as the eight-lane option, doesn’t address all the corridor’s known issues, specifically severe congestion and the related safety challenges.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration have not determined if they will proceed with six or eight lanes. Therefore, we must continue to show support for modernization and expansion of the I-94 East-West Corridor because of its essential role in our communities, businesses, and daily lives.
TODAY is the deadline to submit public comments supporting the eight-lane option. Even if you have previously submitted a comment, you can submit a new comment. Econ Connect has simple, easy online comment tool you can use (click here) or you can use WisDOT’s online comment tool (click here).
Building Wisconsin Together®
Help Destinations Career Academy Grow
In the 2021-22 school year, 32 Wisconsin high schools enrolled students in Destinations Career Academy. There are 673 public high school in the State, so we have a lot of opportunity to grow and promote the Operating Engineers pre-apprenticeship program. 
 
How can you help? Promote the online pre-apprenticeship program within your community to allow high school students the opportunity to take courses that will prepare them for registered apprenticeship.
 
 
Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin is the first online public charter school to offer Career and Technical Education courses in Wisconsin. Highlights for students and their families: 
 
  • Tuition free for Wisconsin families
  • Remain in your home high school
  • Take 1-2 online courses a semester to prepare for apprenticeship as an Operating Engineer
  • Basic Equipment
  • Basic Equipment Maintenance
  • Basic Grade
  • Math for the Trades
  • Commercial Driver’s License Preparation
 
To learn more about this program, contact Laura Cataldo at Baker Tilly at laura.cataldo@bakertilly.com or call 608-240-2488
Building Wisconsin Together®
From the News Stand
Murphy Administration Provides Guidance to Public Entities on Recent Changes to Prevailing Wage Laws
With the summer construction season upon us, the Murphy Administration is reminding local governments and school boards of their role in protecting workers and expanding skilled apprenticeship programs, and their obligations under the New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act. 

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) and its partners at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Division of Local Government Services (DLGS), and the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE), recently sent a letter reminding local governments and boards of education of their responsibilities under the New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act.   

Read the full article here
President Biden Calls for a Three-Month Federal Gas Tax Holiday
The price of gas is up dramatically around the world, and by almost $2 per gallon in America, since Putin began amassing troops on the border of Ukraine. President Biden understands that high gas prices pose a significant challenge for working families. That’s why he has taken action in recent months to boost the supply of oil and gas, including an historic release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and encouraging oil companies and refiners to boost capacity and output to get more supply on the market.

Right now, the federal government charges an 18 cent tax per gallon of gasoline and a 24 cent tax per gallon of diesel. Those taxes fund critical highways and public transportation, through the Highway Trust Fund. But in this unique moment, with gas prices near $5 a gallon on average across the country, President Biden is calling on Congress to suspend the gas tax for three months – until the end of September – to give Americans a little extra breathing room as they deal with the effects of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Read the fill White House press release here
First Round of IIJA Local Projects Announced
On June 7, Governor Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced the first round of local road funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), providing $35 million to support 40 projects in 28 counties.

These projects benefit rural areas and urban areas with fewer than 50,000 people.

WisDOT received 306 applications, and applicants not selected in this initial round can reapply in future years with a simplified form. A list of the selected projects is available here. 

Approximately $25 million in additional IIJA project funding for areas with populations greater than 50,000 people is still to be announced.

WisDOT will let the projects in the fall with spring 2023 construction.

Construction Business Group | 608-240-4170 | www.cbgwi.com