Interstate 43 Reconstruction

Michels Road & Stone, Inc. spearheaded the complete reconstruction of a 5.6-mile section of Interstate 43 in Southeast Wisconsin, expanding four lanes to six. The mega project, which comprises the northern section of an overarching 14-mile freeway expansion project, spanned two years and accommodated a substantial traffic flow of 65,000 vehicles per day. 

The rehabilitation modernized a stretch of freeway that had exceeded its 50-year design life and encompassed the reconstruction of five existing interchanges throughout the corridor, construction of a new interchange near a university, introduction of six mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls and replacement of a railroad bridge. 

Michels Road & Stone’s multidisciplinary teams worked collaboratively to install more than 85,000 feet of 6-inch pipe underdrain prior to placing 506,000 tons of breaker run stone and 360,000 tons of base aggregates, and paving nearly 440,000 square yards of concrete. The project management team utilized 10 construction stages to accommodate freeway traffic and included dedicated daytime, nighttime and weekend shifts. 

Serving as the prime contractor and coordinating the efforts of more than 20 subcontractors, Michels Road & Stone navigated tight timeframes, confined work areas, access challenges and heavy traffic loads while effectively completing the project safely and within the project schedule.