Consulting firms Earth Tech and Ayres Associates have formed a joint venture to provide the technical expertise and capacity needed to complete an environmental study preliminary design for I-94 North-South Freeway improvements from metropolitan Milwaukee to the Illinois line.
The joint venture, North-South WI Partners, is competing with other firms for the opportunity to perform a 35-mile corridor study in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
North-South WI Partners offers solid Wisconsin roots, vast nationwide resources, and an array of experts qualified to lay the groundwork for a freeway that reduces congestion for motorists while remaining sensitive to the economic, environmental and multimodal transportation concerns of residents in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. The team offers recent experience on more than 300 miles of similar corridor studies for WisDOT on projects representing more than $1 billion in construction.
The initial I-94 corridor study, preliminary plans and environmental impact statement are scheduled to be completed by 2009. Proposed improvements include adding lanes, modernizing design and enhancing aesthetics. The revamping of the Mitchell (I-894) Interchange, and the possible addition of one interchange on Racine County and two in Kenosha County. The project will also examine alternatives to provide access across the freeway for multiple modes of transportation.
Regional consensus building will be crucial to the project. North-South WI Partners will work closely with local officials, neighborhoods and property owners to fully consider and address constituent concerns during the planning process.
As a Wisconsin-based firm, North-South WI Partners is sensitive to the importance of using this opportunity to involve local disadvantaged business enterprise firms in the planning process. The team has developed a plan designed to ensure opportunities for local firms to realize technical and business growth through meaningful participation in project activities and mentoring.
Ayres Associates and Earth Tech have successfully teamed on projects such as the 2003 resurfacing of 8.6 miles of six-lane I-894 in Milwaukee County. Among Ayres Associates’ achievements is 45 miles of four-lane STH 29 expansion through central and west-central Wisconsin. Earth Tech’s accomplishments include 45 miles of additional lanes and modernization on the I-39/90 corridor from Madison to the Illinois line and 50 miles of the four-lane expansion of STH 26 between Janesville and Watertown in south-central Wisconsin.
Earth Tech, with 8,500 employees in 17 countries, has taken on virtually every type of transportation challenge, including 1,000-mile corridor studies. Ayres Associates employs 400 professionals around the nation and is consistently one of the top providers of consulting services for WisDOT projects. Both firms have experts in freeway design, including the environmental, structural and traffic engineering components of such projects. Both forms also bring real estate appraisal, acquisition and relocation specialists to the project.
Ayres Associates’ Wisconsin offices are in Waukesha, Madison, Green Bay and Eau Claire. Earth Tech has offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Sheboygan and Steven’s’ Point.
Earth Tech’s’ depth of resources and Ayres Associates’ familiarity with WisDOT project procedures bring a winning combination of industry leadership and hometown sensitivity to this important southeastern Wisconsin project.
