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

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IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

• Utility Coordination Workshop applications open
• New Design-Build project RFQs Nov. 14
• USDOT issues DBE program guidance
• Environmental Committee tackles state, federal regulations
• New ECIP form feedback sought

EVENTS & REMINDERS

• Erosion Control Training registration open through Dec. 1
• Triple slate of WTBA winter events available for registration

NEWS & NOTES

• Study: I-794's removal would significantly increase travel times
• Why will expanding I-94 in Milwaukee County take eight years?
• Cutting the ribbon on a new I-90 rest stop
• State proposal would require munis to ask voters to approve wheel taxes

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

• DWD report shows strong gains for apprenticeship programs
• Robots could offer safe solution to longterm workforce shortages, but at what cost?

WTBA members have the opportunity to help address industry concerns surrounding utility conflicts and delays by participating in an important Utility Coordination Workshop next month.

WTBA is accepting a limited number of contractor applicants (35 max) for the WisDOT-sponsored workshop set for Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 in Wisconsin Dells. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. and includes food and beverages.

Topics will include utility locating, contract document communication, utilizing the Z component of utility information, and effective communication during construction. Participants will come from across the industry, ranging from contractors and engineers to locators and utilities themselves.

WisDOT intends to use ideas and information that come from the interactive workshop to develop new systems and strategies in the future.

Those interested in attending must apply ASAP through WTBA by filling out THIS form no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.  

You can also contact Lane Kimble with questions.  

Accepted attendees will receive further information about the conference and lodging via email the week of Nov. 17.

Replacing four bridges along I-94 in Jefferson County could prevent devastating flooding that closed the freeway for several weeks.

WisDOT plans to use the Design Build method on the Crawfish and Rock River bridges with Requests for Qualification (RFQ) opening next Friday, Nov. 14.

The project will involve replacing a total of four structures (two at each river crossing), raising them to surpass the 100-year flood event level. Historic floods in 2008 led to a full westbound shutdown of I-94 for two weeks at the bridges.

The scope of work may also involve soil improvements and a retaining wall addition. You can view the project’s preliminary plans HERE.

The winning firm must demonstrate how it will maintain traffic throughout the construction process while ideally saving taxpayer dollars and time. SOQs will likely be due in January and WisDOT aims to award the project in June 2026.

The Crawfish/Rock River bridges project is one of six in the initial Design-Build Pilot program. 

WTBA's Elise Nelson and Jodi Jensen testified Oct. 28 and 29 in support of a bill that would launch a permanent Design-Build program. Committees in the Senate and Assembly will vote on the bill next week.

• For a contract advertised but not yet let, the state DOT must amend the advertisement to remove the DBE contract goal.
• For projects let but not yet awarded, the state DOT must change the goal to zero. The agency does not need to readvertise the project, but may rebid it if required under state law.
• Contracts let and executed prior to Oct. 3 need not be modified, but DBE participation cannot be counted toward a contract or program goal until completion of the DBE reevaluation process in that jurisdiction.

The rule change ordered states to recertify all DBEs without the presumption of race- or sex-based disadvantages. Instead, DBEs will need to individually submit narratives detailing their case.

The federal government’s rule blocks states from applying DBE goals to any federally funded projects until the recertification process is complete.  

WisDOT has removed all DBE program goals from its upcoming November and December 2025 lets. The state DOT says it is in the process of creating a recertification plan and will share details this fall or winter.

Meanwhile, ARTBA also compiled and submitted public comments on the rule change Monday. The comments mainly seek further clarification on questions such as compliance on multi-year projects, avoiding delays to project awards, and improving outreach and coordination with the industry.

You can read ARTBA’s full comments HERE.

The group heard from ARTBA’s VP of Regulatory Affairs Prianka Sharma, who covered topics such as Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and NEPA rules, several pending Congressional bills with construction-related implications, and particulate matter 2.5 reviews.

WisDOT’s Jeremy Ashauer covered various endangered species in Wisconsin, Trans 401, and updates to ECIP forms, which the department is seeking contractor feedback on (more details in a story below).



Contract Lobbyist Eric Petersen shared insights into the political climate both looking at the previous night’s election wins for Democrats in places such as New York City and Virginia, as well as how the 2026 races for governor and control of the Legislature are shaping up in Wisconsin.

In an effort to streamline and improve the process, WisDOT is asking for your feedback on updates to the Erosion Control Implementation Plan (ECIP) forms.

Jeremy Ashauer, the Erosion and Sediment Control Engineer for WisDOT, shared the forms and took comments from WTBA’s Environmental Committee during its meeting Wednesday.

You can view the forms yourself by scrolling down to the News and Notes section on the WTBA Regulatory Tracking page HERE.

Please submit any comments or questions to Jodi Jensen or Matt Grove no later than Friday, Nov. 14.  WTBA will compile comments to share with WisDOT in late-November.

The forms are currently in DRAFT status and are undergoing internal review.  WisDOT intends to publish finalized forms in January.

The conference begins Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025 at 9 a.m. in the McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids.

Tickets cost $75 for WTBA members (make sure you’re signed into your account) and $125 for non-members. 

Click HERE for more information and to register.

Layton has more than 30 years of experience with WisDOT as a project manager in both design and construction for major transportation projects, and served as the department’s erosion control and stormwater support person.

Holm is a retired professional engineer. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Department of Bio-systems and Agricultural Engineering; specializing in Soil and Water Conservation Engineering. Leo worked for 37 years at the Minnesota Department of Transportation and retired as a Section Director in 2006.

You can find more information about all three at members.wtba.org/events.

Please make sure you’re signed into your WTBA account prior to registering for any of these great events.

Tearing down I-794 in Milwaukee and replacing it with expanded street-level roads would lead to a big increase in traffic congestion downtown.

That’s according to the latest traffic analysis that WisDOT released this week.

The department is pondering whether to repair the aging freeway spur as-is, reconfigure some of its ramps while making repairs, or tear down the stretch all together.

"There's just a lot of gridlock we're noticing when we do that (full tear down) analysis," Dave Pittman, WisDOT project manager, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Full freeway removal would cause morning commutes from the city's south side to UW-Milwaukee in the north to more than double, from 17.5 to 35.5 minutes by 2050, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported.

Tear-down advocates say it would open up more than a dozen acres of land for commercial and housing development and better connect downtown Milwaukee to the Third Ward. Opponents worry removal would lead to traffic nightmares, force commuters onto other busy freeways, and cut off the southern suburbs.

"It's going to create a huge bottleneck; our cities are going to suffer tremendously for that, our businesses will leave, we'll be a desert," Cudahy Mayor Ken Jankowski told TMJ4 News.

Any decision is still more than a year away. WisDOT is continuing to study and compile information, with a preferred alternative selected in early 2027 and final design work starting in 2028.

The project, which also includes converting the stadium interchange into a Diverging Diamond Interchange, is estimated to cost $1.7 billion and will take until 2033.  Construction began in earnest Nov. 3.

Namely, Fannon points to a need to balance design constraints, contractor workload, maintaining traffic flow, and proper budget management among the many factors for the eight-year timeframe.

More than 150,000 vehicles rely on the East-West I-94 corridor daily, WisDOT says.  The 60-year-old stretch of freeway is worn down, unsafe, and often causes traffic jams during rush hour periods.

The work will expand the freeway from six to eight lanes and vastly improve safety through modernized designs and retooled on and off ramps.

Prime contractors Zignego Company and Zenith Tech (Walbec Group) won initial phases of the massive project during the September 2025 letting.  Jacobs and HNTB are serving as the main consultants on the project.

WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman and local leaders cut the ribbon on the new I-90 rest stop. (Photo courtesy WisDOT)

“We can park trucks just about anywhere, but they can’t do it safely. You see trucks parked on off ramps, on the side of the road. That’s not safe for the driver, and it’s certainly not safe for the motoring public.

"This is a beautiful facility that is going to allow them to park here safely and feel secure in their vehicle,” Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association President Dan Johnson told WEAU-TV.

The rest stop opens to the public around Thanksgiving.

More students and skilled adults are entering the trades thanks, in part, to record setting apprenticeship programs in Wisconsin.

The state Department of Workforce Development released its biennial report for 2023-25 this week.

The report shows youth apprenticeship programs set record levels for a fourth straight year during the 2024-25 school year.  There were 11,344 students enrolled in the program and 7,400 employers participating.  That nearly doubled pre-set program goals.

The Registered Apprenticeship program set a record for its third straight year, with 17,089 RAs working for 2,600 employers.

The DWD also launched several new programs in 2024, including project management.  There are nearly 200 apprenticeship occupations in the state’s overall program.

The firm then suggests contemplating how fast to move forward with adoption, according to Construction Dive.

Possible applications in the future could include pipework, sensor installations, and earthwork.

There are, of course, many risks to being a trailblazer in the field.  Current costs are prohibitive for many companies and the return on investment at this stage is questionable, at best.

The vertical construction industry has toyed with various robots for years, while heavy highway equipment companies such as Komatsu are developing autonomous dump trucks.