The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced recently its selection of 2024 Excellence in Highway Design Award recipients. The Village of Westfield North Main Street Bridge Design project was chosen as this year’s winner in the Best Structure by a Consultant category, recognizing the efforts of MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) of Baraboo, which led the design and engineering of the Westfield bridge.

WisDOT Design Awards recognize industry expertise and innovation in the design and delivery of transportation infrastructure projects in Wisconsin. Winners are chosen by a judging committee, which includes representatives from the Federal Highway Administration, WisDOT Regional Offices, the Bureau of Project Development and private design firms. Bridge projects are appraised on a variety of merits including design process and innovation, cost-effective design and efficiencies, impacts to the public, and design document quality.

The North Main Street Bridge project in the Village of Westfield replaced a deteriorating 94-year-old single-span bridge over the Tributary to Westfield Creek with a longer 26-foot bridge with 6-foot-high abutments and a 15-degree skew to match the existing streambanks. Project goals included improving vehicular and pedestrian safety, enhancing urban aesthetics, and boosting functionality. The design methodology emphasized economic sizing and locating a replacement structure within hydraulic and topographic conditions, integrating cost-effective cut-stone boulders for slope stabilization and erosion prevention, incorporating storm sewer systems, and geometric and construction-stage coordination with concurrent improvements along North Main Street. Construction of the bridge was complete in September of 2023.

“The Village of Westfield is very happy to receive recognition for this bridge project,” commented Ed Mockler, public works director in the Village of Westfield. “The process went very smoothly from design through construction and MSA did an excellent job coordinating the DOT bridge work with that of our adjacent street project to minimize disruptions to area residents. The new bridge is a huge improvement over the old structure with regards to functionality and appearance, and will serve our community well for decades to come.”

WisDOT Design Award recipients were recognized during the ACEC/WisDOT Transportation Improvement Conference March 6 in Wisconsin Dells.