Blog

Going the Distance to Keep Business in Mukwonago

Written by: Ryan T. Amtmann, PE, Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. The Village of Mukwonago was in the early stages of siting a new business park when a growing local business, Banker Wire, approached the Village Administrator with their plans for expansion. Banker Wire preferred to keep their... Continue Reading

Historic Plaza Gets New Life

Bruce Morrow, PLA, LEED AP, Ayres Many communities have them: Cool spaces that no longer function to their full potential. Downtown Sheboygan had one of these spaces, and the City also had very good reasons to fix it. Mead Library Plaza was introduced in the 1970s with a bang. The City hired... Continue Reading

Benefit Cost Analysis Evaluates Safety Benefits of Roadway Improvement Alternatives

Written by: Laura Schroeder, P.E., PTOE, RSP, raSmith Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) is a valuable tool that is becoming increasingly important to state and local governments to understand if a roadway improvement is economical and as a tool in comparing multiple improvement alternatives. To conduct... Continue Reading

Bark River Restoration Rescues Failing Banks, Invigorates Downtown Delafield

Written by: Brian Pehl, PE, Short Elliott Hendrickson Challenge The Bark River Restoration in Delafield began as a volunteer effort by the Friends of the Bark River community group, who were seeking to clean up the river and make this natural feature more accessible and inviting to users. Yet,... Continue Reading

Game On at Glendale Landfill Site

Written by: Bill Honea, PG, Ayres Located only four miles from Milwaukee, the small community of Glendale, Wisconsin, is recognized as “one of the most progressive of the northeast Milwaukee suburbs.” Recently, the City demonstrated this to be true once more, teaming with planning... Continue Reading

Is it time for a diet?

Wellness in the form of trimming travel lanes; rejuvenates a community. Continue Reading

Navigating one of the Largest Water Expansion Projects in Wisconsin

Written by: Kenneth R. Ward, PE; Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. In 2017, the Racine Water & Wastewater Utility (RWWU) partnered with Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) to embark on one of the largest water system expansion projects ever in the state of Wisconsin; one that would allow the utility to... Continue Reading

Statewide Aerial Imagery Positions Wisconsin’s Public, Private Sectors for the Future

Written By: Zachary Nienow, GISP, Ayres The Wisconsin Regional Orthoimagery Consortium (WROC) is unique by design, formed to improve the way cities, counties, state and federal agencies and the private sector obtain vital orthoimagery and lidar data – and that it does. Governmental... Continue Reading

Historical Bridge Preserved While New Structure Restores Transportation to Rural Community

Written By: Jonathan Olinger, PE- R.H. Batterman & Co. Inc After 110 years, it was time to upgrade the single span, single lane steel structure spanning the Turtle Creek in the Town of Turtle, Rock County, Wisconsin. The existing steel structure, originally built in 1910, was no longer... Continue Reading

New Fire Station Fills Gap in Underserved Community

Written By: Paul Hansen, PE, IMEG Corp. Most people don’t think about the time it would take emergency personnel to reach them until they are in a life-or-death situation. But in an emergency, they want the fastest possible response to their 911 call. Prior to the completion of the new Fire... Continue Reading

Good Things Can Come in Small Packages

Written By: Bruce Morrow, PLA, LEED AP, Ayres A project doesn’t have to be large to provide substantial impact. Milwaukee’s Harbor View Plaza has a relatively small footprint with its approximately 3,500-square-foot area. Even so, Milwaukee Harbor District knew the space had great... Continue Reading

Shoreline Resiliency - Design to Counter Climate Extremes

Written by Bruce Lunde, MSA Professional Services Developing programs for shoreline stability and resiliency has been a significant topic recently. The Great Lakes have broken high water records over the last few years. In June, July, and August of 2019, Lake Superior broke all-time records for... Continue Reading