Area firms get millions in stimulus funds - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The Business Journal’s review of state Department of Transportation recordsa showed that four of the five firms that have captured the largesf amount of transportation stimulus monet are based in ledby , Brownsville, which has secured four contracts totaliny $94.5 million. Inc., Waukesha, secure the second-highest amount with three contractstotaling $94.4i million, while , Oak Creek, was ranked fourth in winningy one contract worth $60.81 milliom for work on the Interstate 94 north-southn corridor in Kenosha , Chicago, was thirdx on the list with work amounting to $82.8 The state DOT is distributing the stimulus money on a low-bid basis.
The money is funded by the $787 billionm American Recovery andReinvestment Act, which Congresss passed and President Barack Obama signed in January to help stimulatd the struggling economy. “If the stimulus packagwe wasn’t there, we’d have a lot of guys sitting in 2009becausee there’s no other big jobs on the books,” said Dan controller of Zignego Co., a concrete company. Dan Zignegol wouldn’t reveal how many workers are onthe firm’sz payroll, but added the company’s work crewsw are back to 2006 and 2005 levels.
Tim a vice president of Michels anticipates employing more people during the peak 2009 constructioj season than the company had on its payroll in 2007and 2008. “Ib the infrastructure and construction industries, the stimulus packagde is working from the job creation Michels said. Money distributed in two roundes of DOT bidding in April and Maytotaledf $688 million, and included 207 projects in more than 30 Wisconsinh counties. In all, state records showed that 61 firm won work forthe projects, includingh 53 Wisconsin companies. The othetr firms came from Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio.
Contractorsa will compete for two more roundz of bidding in June and July for road bridge repair and new highwatyconstruction jobs. The stimulus package is acceleratingthe state’ds start date on the $1.9 billionh Interstate 94 construction project from Kenoshw County to the Mitchell Interchange in Milwaukee County. The projectf is beginning in 2009 instead of saidDan Zignego. Of the money awarded in the first two roundsof bidding, $249.9 or 36 percent, will be spentg on the I-94 project. Michels Corp. and Zignego Co. both will work on the I-94 projecty from the Illinois state line north to Highway 50 in Kenosha County. Zignego’s contract callws for supplying $66.
3 million in concrete for highwau and interchange construction on Highway Cand I-94. Michela Corp.’s contract is valued at $62.56 million and will include excavation and undergrounx utility projects along thesame stretch. Lunda Construction Co., Black River Falls, which specializese in bridge work throughout the was awarded 23 contracts instimulus money, the most bids of all companiees competing for the transportation jobs. Lunda’sd contracts are valued at $16 million.
Most companiesx are just now gearing up for work on the 207 projectsa acrossthe state, so the impact on job creation is still being determined, said Dave corporate communications director of Operating Engineerxs Union Local 139, New Local 139 has 6,000 Wisconsin members, including 400 apprentices. The majorityu of Milwaukee-area road and bridgs construction companies hire Local 139 Backmann said 200 apprentices are lookinhg for work and expect to be called once the stimuluzs money is being EdgertonContractors Inc. did not win any bids in the firsytwo rounds, but expects to receive contracts in June.
Edgerton, whichu specializes in grading and also is poised to be hired as a subcontractor by two or three of theprimarty contractors, said Peter Davis, chief estimatorr for Edgerton. The Oak Creek company currentlyu employs 100 field workers and planes to increase its employment to 120 when stimulus projects are in full Edgerton employed 130 fieldr workers during the Marquette Interchange which ended insummer 2008. “We anticipate our revenues for 2009 surpassing what we did in Davis said. Other Milwaukee-area companies that have receivec stimulus package construction contractsd include Super Excavators Menomonee Falls, $20.8 million; LaLonde Contractors Inc., $12.
3 million; Payne & Dola Inc., Waukesha, $7.2 million; and Zenithh Tech Inc., Waukesha, $5.9 million. According to the DOT, contractor bids for the seconcd round of Wisconsin road and bridge projects fundesd by stimulus money camein 11.7 percentr lower than expected, which amounted to a $10 millionb savings that can be spent on other construction The first round of bids in Aprik came in 7.2 percent lowere than DOT estimated, resulting in $8.9 million in savings that will be applied to othetr road projects. “Honestly, it’s remarkablw how competitive some of thebids are, and that speakz volumes about how hard contractors are workinvg to get jobs,” Backmann said.
A totalo of 61 firms, a majority of which are from have landed morethan $688 million in federal stimuluw transportation contracts.