WisDOT announces 2022 Excellence in Construction awards

Six Wisconsin construction companies received Excellence in Construction Awards at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s annual Contractor-Engineer Conference held this week in Wisconsin Dells.

Top winners include an asphalt paving project in Lincoln County, a concrete paving project in Washburn County, a grading project in Brown County, a small bridge project in Eau Claire County, a large bridge project in Racine County and a large contract project in Dane County.

“We are committed to improving Wisconsin’s infrastructure and these awards reflect the great work to build a 21^st century transportation system,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “Thanks to Governor Evers’ leadership, we are making critical transportation investments in every county across the state.”

“We are grateful for the many talented contracting firms and workers whose skill and experience help to improve safety and mobility for millions of people across Wisconsin,” Beth Cannestra, director of WisDOT’s Bureau of Project Development, said. “The annual Excellence in Construction Awards are an opportunity for us to applaud quality work and reflect on best practices moving forward.”

• Excellence in Asphalt Paving – American Asphalt of Wisconsin, located in Mosinee, received the award for work on the US 51 project from the Marathon County line to Lincoln County K. This project reconstructed a 6.5-mile section of both northbound and southbound US 51, along with replacing seven traffic crossovers and multiple interchange ramps. With careful schedule control and efficiency, the contractor finished the project more than five months ahead of the original completion date.
• Excellence in Concrete Paving – Trierweiler Construction, located in Marshfield, received the award for work on US 63, between Greenwood Avenue and Poplar Street in Spooner, in Washburn County. The contractor used stringless paving technology to ease access issues and improve the overall ride quality of the pavement. Stringless paving uses electronically guided equipment requiring less need for crews to survey and stake paving areas. Their dedication has provided the City of Spooner a well-built roadway to serve the community for years to come.

• Excellence in Grading – Hoffman Construction Company Inc., located in Black River Falls, received the award for work on the WIS 29 and County VV interchange in Brown County. The two-year project included construction of a diamond interchange with roundabouts, as well as construction and realignment of numerous local roadways in the area. Grading operations were instrumental in meeting the challenging contract schedule. The contractor worked long hours and weekends with multiple crews to build a successful project.

• Excellence in Small Structures – Lunda Construction Co. of Black River Falls received the award for the County V bridge over Bridge Creek in Eau Claire County. This structure replacement was adjacent to historic Dells Mill and required careful consideration of construction methods, as well as seismic monitoring, for the duration of the project. The new structure exemplifies the contractor’s hard work and pride in the project.

• Excellence in Large Structures – Zenith Tech Inc., located in Waukesha, received the award for the West 6^th Street Bridge over the Root River in Racine County. This project replaced a historic concrete arch structure and included similar features from the original bridge. The contractor overcame multiple challenges during construction and implemented innovative solutions to save time and budget.
• Large Contract – Payne & Dolan Inc., located in Waukesha, received the award for work on US 12/18 (Beltline), between Whitney Way and I-39/90, in Madison in Dane County. This project helped create the first Flex Lane in Wisconsin. Known by engineers as dynamic part-time shoulder use, the project involved the largest Intelligent Transportation System deployment in state history. Innovative thinking and excellent scheduling were required to overcome the enormous workload and many challenges that arise on such a large project. These efforts helped make this project a great success.

Photos of the award-winning projects can be found on the WisDOT website​.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.