Ahead of schedule and under budget; the Marquette Interchange is finished!
It's the largest road project in state history. Transportation Development Association executive director Craig Thompson says the Marquette Interchange is now completed – almost three months ahead of its original schedule and millions of dollars under budget.
"This is truly a success story. It doesn't matter whether you're from southeastern Wisconsin or the rest of the state, it's a critical part of commerce and everything else in Wisconsin and it was finished ahead of time and under budget without any fatalities or serious injuries. I think this is a project that everyone in Wisconsin should be very, very proud of."
The Governor's office says the state is saving approximately $15-million through management practices, design choices and by using local materials.
Thompson says it's good to know our transportation tax dollars were spent wisely.
"It was projected to cost $810-million and it came in under $800-million. … This is one where our registration fees and our gas tax dollars that we sent in have been put to tremendous use and the dividends that we're all going to receive are going to dwarf the initial expenditure."
Construction took almost four years, while traffic continued flowing through the state's largest city. More than 4,000 workers were involved in the project, which connects I-94 with I-43, while avoiding any fatalities or major injuries to workers or motorists.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report (1:33 MP3)
