Designing this preservation was no small feat . The bridge extends 1.5 miles ; serves a region with a historically short construction season ; carries nearly 20,000 vehicles a day ; and towers over a busy marine area .
Improvements for the two-year project included placing a concrete overlay on the bridge deck ; replacing modular expansion joints and strip seal joints ; re-tensioning suspender cables for the tied arch ; painting the exterior of the tied arch , the interior of the tie girders , and the ends of the steel girders ; constructing a new multilane modern roundabout ; upgrading roadway and navigational lighting ; and repairing sidewalk and railing .
Ayres Associates was uniquely familiar with the Bong Bridge , having designed much of the original structure . This rehabilitation was the first major upgrade to the durable bridge since its opening . The project opened to traffic in October 2015 – several months ahead of schedule and under the budget estimates from the Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Transportation , which shared the cost of the approximately $ 20 million project .
Dane Partners also honored
In related news , Dane Partners , a joint venture of Ayres Associates , EMCS , OTIE , and SEH , also earned a State Finalist Award in the ACEC Wisconsin Engineering Excellence Awards competition for the team ’ s work on the STH 73 Jughandle Interchange . The project involved an innovative redesign of the existing at-grade intersection between STH 73 and US 12 / 18 . The old design formed two offset intersections , which produced a high crash rate because of the unusual and dangerous intersection configuration . The short roadway segments between the two intersections created significant safety concerns as high volumes of vehicles had to traverse , slow down , and turn along an equally high-volume , highspeed route . The new design – shaped like a jug handle – minimizes crashes and better facilitates traffic flow between the two major highways . The jug handle involves a gradeseparated interchange that separates the two high-volume roadways , which minimizes the conflict points between vehicles and provides a much safer interchange .
Volunteer efforts recognized
Tom Pulse , president of Ayres Associates , recently received the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin ’ s 2017 Chairman ’ s Award for his personal service to or on behalf of ACEC WI . Pulse received the award for his sustained service in the interest of advancing consulting engineering and member firms .
Pulse ’ s leadership has been a driving force in ACEC of Wisconsin for years , including his service on the ACEC-Wisconsin Board of Directors from 2004 to 2011 . During that time he served as Professional Engineers in Private Practice director , secretarytreasurer , and chairman-elect until serving as Board of Directors chairman in 2009-10 , and past chairman in 2010- 11 . Pulse also served as Leadership Institute class advisor for the classes of 2015 and 2016 .
Pulse has been recognized nationally for his outstanding work in the engineering field through his induction into the ACEC College of Fellows in 2015 . The honor recognizes individuals for their dedication , commitment , and innovation throughout their engineering careers .
' Distinguished service ' noted John Davis , manager of traffic engineering services , recently received the Distinguished Service Award from the Wisconsin Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers ( ITE ).
Davis , based in Ayres ’ Waukesha , Wisconsin , office , has 34 years of traffic engineering experience in the public and private sectors , including the past nine years at Ayres Associates . Davis has been extremely active in ITE for much of his career , first becoming a member in 1981 . His leadership roles began with being editor of the Hoosier ITE Journal for the Indiana Section in 1989 . In the Wisconsin ITE Section he is currently serving as coleader of the Midwestern District ITE 2017 Conference that will be held in June in Madison . He is also very active in getting students involved in the ITE community . He has been an ITE fellow since 1998 and currently serves as chairman of International ITE ’ s Traffic Engineering Council .
His project experience includes traffic control design and operations , geometric design , traffic impact studies , traffic control evaluations , traffic incident management , and freeway operations .
Engineer earns YP award
Erik Lietz , a civil engineer and solid waste expert in Ayres ’ Eau Claire , Wisconsin , office , was recently presented the Young Professional Award for Outstanding Service and Professionalism . The Wisconsin Badger Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America ( SWANA ) presented Lietz the award at the 2017 Wisconsin Integrated Resource Management Conference .
The honor recognized the work Lietz has done to increase safety awareness and performance in the industry . Lietz , who is vice president and a board director for the Wisconsin chapter , is also the chapter ’ s safety ambassador to the national SWANA board .
22│TRENDS