Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Southeast DOT celebrates I‑43 completion; East–West 94 projects move toward fall lettings
Summary
Wisconsin Department of Transportation Southeast Region leaders highlighted the recently completed I‑43 expansion and outlined upcoming lettings for major segments of the 94 East–West corridor, including two fall lettings and multi‑year construction phases beginning in 2027 and later.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Southeast Region) on the stakeholder advisory committee call reported the formal completion of the I‑43 corridor expansion and detailed near‑term lettings for the 94 East–West program.
David Wins, Southeast Region project chief, said the I‑43 reconstruction — an expansion from four to six lanes between Silver Spring and Highway 60 — concluded with a ribbon cutting July 15. Wins told the committee, “The project completed on time and under budget.” He reported that of the $550 million committed by the governor and the Transportation Projects Commission, approximately $415 million funded construction; about $71 million of that construction spending went to DBE companies, with payments to date at roughly 96 percent of the billed amount.
The nut graf: the region is shifting from design to a period of heavy construction across multiple corridors. Committee members and DOT staff stressed the I‑43 finish as a model for DBE participation and a signal that bidding opportunities are upcoming on other large corridor projects.
Jeff Bowen, WisDOT Southeast Freeways design chief, reviewed the 94 East–West project map and timing. He said both an “early east leg” structures project (orange on the map) and a large west‑end package (blue) are scheduled for letting this fall. Bowen described the orange package as primarily structures work and the west package as a “very large” construction opportunity; other segments — the central stadium interchange and larger east leg work — are scheduled for later phases, with construction of some components beginning in 2027 and the stadium interchange currently shown in 2029 but “subject to change,” Bowen said.
DOT staff and several primes encouraged DBE firms to track the fall lettings and consider attending the state construction fair in September, which DOT uses to preview consultant and construction oversight packages for the 2026 season. Staff noted the West Leg has the scale to attract firms that have worked on recent major projects, and asked DBEs that wish to partner with primes to engage early in pre‑bid communications.
Committee discussion also recognized the role of mentor–protégé relationships in delivering the I‑43 work. Andy Kalski of HNTB and Bruce Spann of Spann & Associates described multi‑firm collaboration; Kalski said DBE firms participated on both design and construction‑management teams and that the design team “went out of their way to add companies to the project, to kinda help them grow and develop their engineering skills.”
Ending: DOT urged DBE firms to watch the department newsletter and the project web pages for published lettings and to attend upcoming in‑person outreach such as the state fair booth and consultant fair previews.
