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Michael Larson

Milwaukee's Marquette Interchange Expected to Open Three Months Early And $10 Million Under Budget
July 9, 2008

The recent news release from Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle saying that Milwaukee’s Marquette Interchange is expected to open three months early and about $10 million under budget came as welcome news -- but not a big surprise -- to me.

I’ve had the privilege to cover the latter stages of the $810-million, four-year-long project for Western Builder. The work I’ve seen and the information I’ve heard from WisDOT and others involved in the project convinced me long ago that this is a nearly perfect project, from which other transportation departments from anywhere around the world could learn.

The Marquette Interchange reconstruction has faced many challenges, right from the initial concept of rebuilding Wisconsin’s largest and most-concentrated system of highway exchanges, which just happened to be located in the heart of the state’s largest city.

It also just happened to cross a major river valley, which further complicated the logistics.

The well-conceived but intricate construction plan required adding layers of overpasses and flyover ramps, partially building some areas and temporarily burying them so work could go on for higher sections.

It also required leaving some segments partially built so that cranes and other equipment could get to working locations needed to build other portions. When the worksites were no longer needed, the contractors completed the partially-constructed segments.

Further complicating the construction was the fact that the final “core” section that is now being completed contains the key arteries that form the hub and spokes of the system that enables traffic from Chicago, Racine, and Kenosha in the south, Beloit and Madison in the west, and the Fox Valley and Green Bay in the north to flow from one direction to another.

That meant that traffic flow had to be maintained while construction went on.

Efficient traffic flow was also important to the tens of thousands of Milwaukee commuters who use the freeways to get to and from work each day.

The Marquette Interchange project team has prevailed over every challenge.

According to information from WisDOT traffic analysis, the average Milwaukee commute has been less than five minutes longer during construction than it was before the project began.

Another thing that WisDOT did extremely well during the project was informing the traveling public about what work was going on when – and the best alternate routes to use in by-passing it.

The system worked so well that an originally skeptical populace has barely raised any complaints during most of the project. In fact, anyone can sign up to receive e-mail alerts about traffic slow-downs as they develop. That lets travelers plan with the most up-to-date information.

On top of being ahead of schedule, under budget, and in the good graces of the city’s populace, the project has, to the latest of my knowledge, not seen a single lost-time construction accident (knock on wood).

That is an incredible safety record for a project of any size, let alone one like this that includes: demolition, heavy construction, work on multiple levels of flyovers up to 120’ tall, congested worksites with lots of equipment and laborers working close together, and year-round work right through the ice, wind, and snow of winter.

Those involved credit a good plan and outstanding teamwork among all the contractors and government entities involved for the project’s outstanding success so far.

It is the kind of project that should be used as a glowing example in construction-management textbooks, classes, and seminars.

Hats off to the engineers, contractors, suppliers, and governments that have helped make this world-class project go so well. Nobody anywhere could have done it any better.

What do you think?

Posted by Michael Larson on July 9, 2008 | Comments (0)